What is history?

History … is a form of discourse about the past emphasizes critical analysis and interpretation of the surviving traces of the past, though historians disagree violently about how to use the evidence usually is presented in prose narrative, like a story, governed by culturally specific unwritten rules and expectations about what an historical narrative should look like

History is not … myth, but that does not mean it is automatically always true fiction, but that does not mean that the historian's imagination plays no role in reconstructing the past propaganda, but that does not mean it is automatically neutral and objective

So, history IS … a kind of myth, as a story that helps us make sense of the world a kind of fiction, although governed by certain generic conventions a kind of propaganda, for it represents the historian's personal point of view

So …

History is … a particular way of telling a story about the past, which claims to offer a trustworthy account of past events.

Or … History is a storehouse of information about how people and societies behave. By studying the past we understand the present. History is an imperfect human laboratory where data is collected, revealing the most vital evidence in our efforts to understand who we are and why we behave as we do

To the Greeks and Romans … History was written by men – historians, not statesmen – whose subject matter was the famous deeds of men in war The historian was an artist, who approximated reality, told the “truth” in a beautiful and meaningful way, captured the reader with that art, and instructed, edified and eternalized virtue and infamy

Historians were … Men of leisure, thinkers, men of affairs, men of the ruling class … MEN! Artists, who sought in their art, with a fidelity to the truth, to be a teacher to the people.

Historians … Collected material Weighed sources Exercised independent criticism Established a contract with the reader Professed to avoid partiality.

Why study history? Why bother with the past? Why study the Romans? Historians don’t replicate DNA, perform heart surgery, improve highways, battle hurricanes or arrest criminals. What is their function, and what is the function of history?

Why study history? It is essential to who we are It harbors beauty It is art and entertainment It reveals how people and societies function, and helps us understand the human experience It contributes to moral understanding It provides identity-for the individual, the family, the community, the nation

What does the student of history learn? The ability to assess various kinds of evidence: leaders’ speeches, historians’ observations, poets’ and critics’ comments, private records, numerical data, physical remains The ability to use this evidence to craft a coherent argument The ability to sort through diverse, conflicting interpretations To become a well-informed citizen and member of a community