Historical Method, Sources and Historiography
This domain tests how historians build arguments: types of sources, chronology, interpretation, heritage and archaeology. Questions often ask you to judge reliability rather than recall a narrative.
Core concepts
- Primary and secondary sources: inscriptions, coins, letters, oral testimony, chronicles versus later histories; both can be valuable but need criticism.
- Criticism: external criticism checks authenticity, date, provenance and material; internal criticism checks bias, purpose and consistency.
- Chronology: relative dating (stratigraphy, seriation) and absolute dating (radiocarbon, coins, inscriptions); eras and regnal years.
- Interpretation: historians select evidence and frame questions; no source is “neutral” without context.
- Heritage and archaeology: excavation, stratigraphy, conservation, UNESCO categories, oral history and community memory.
Worked example
You are given a copper-plate grant. First check external features: metal, script, seal, provenance and whether it is a copy. Then read internally: donor, date, land boundaries, witnesses and purpose. Corroborate with other inscriptions or land records. The reasoning shows that a grant proves a transaction claim, not necessarily actual possession.
Traps that cost marks
Do not assume old sources are true or oral sources are false. Do not ignore provenance or treat a later copy as an original. Avoid using “primary” to mean “unbiased”. Heritage is not only monuments; it includes living traditions.
Key points
- Primary sources are contemporary traces, not automatic truth.
- External criticism establishes authenticity; internal criticism assesses meaning and bias.
- Stratigraphy gives relative chronology; radiocarbon gives absolute dates.
- Corroboration across independent sources strengthens a claim.
- Heritage includes intangible memory as well as excavated sites.