Historical sources, chronology, cartography, and historical concepts/methods
What the domain covers
This domain tests the tools used in all other sections: classifying sources, criticising evidence, converting dates, reading maps and defining concepts. The exam rewards precise use of evidence and penalises unsupported inference.
Core knowledge
- Primary sources are produced in the period studied; secondary sources interpret it later. A chronicle is primary for the events it reports, but its bias must be assessed.
- External criticism asks about authenticity, date, author and provenance. Internal criticism asks about meaning, reliability and intent.
- Chronology: BC dates count backwards; AD centuries run from 1 to 100 for the 1st century, 101 to 200 for the 2nd. The 15th century is 1401–1500.
- Cartography: read title, legend, scale, orientation and shaded areas. A historical map shows claims or administration at a stated date, not eternal borders.
- Concepts such as feudalism, absolutism, nationalism, totalitarianism and suzerainty must be defined and applied to evidence, not used as labels.
Worked example
A document dated 1453 is described as "15th century". Verify: 1401–1500 is the 15th century, so 1453 belongs to it. Then ask what the document is: chronicle, treaty, letter or later compilation? Its date supports external criticism but does not by itself prove the truth of its content.
Traps
Do not treat a later chronicle as a neutral record; do not confuse a map's date with the date of its publication; do not count centuries from year 0; do not use "feudalism" for every pre-modern hierarchy; always separate what a source says from what it proves.