Sources

of
Historical Data
Lesson 2
• Historical data – are sourced from artifacts
that have been left by the past.
• Artifact - an object made by a human being,
typically an item of cultural or historical
interest.
• Examples:
• Relics
• Remains
• Testimonies of witnesses
• Thus, historical sources are those material
from which historians construct meaning
pertaining to a certain history.
• A historical work or interpretation is thus the
result of such depiction of the past.
• The 1st mass held in Limasawa
• The Blood Compact
• Battle of Tirad Pass
• Relics or “remains” – offers the researchers a
clue or a glimpse about the past.
• Artifacts cn be found where relics of human
happenings can be found.
• Examples:
• Potsherd
• Coin
• Ruin
• Manuscript or book
• These objects, however, are never the happenings or
events
• Written documents may be the result of the event or
the records thereof.
• Whether artifacts or documents, they are materials
out of which history may be written (Howell and
Prevenier, 2001)
• Example:
• Noli and El Fili are just mere representation of the
prevailing notion during the time of the Spanish
Colonization but not the official account of such.
• Testimonies of witnesses – description of an
event by an individual/s.
• It could either be written or oral.
• It may have been created to serve as records
or they might have been created for some
other purposes.
• Examples:
• Memoirs
• Letters to and from our National heroes
• The historians deals with the ff.:
• The dynamic or genetic (the becoming) – it
deals about the conception or how something
starts
• The Static (the being) – means the event as it
is. What the event is all about.
• Being interpretative (explaining the why and
how things happened and were interrelated)
• Being descriptive (telling what happened, when and
where and who took part) – deals with the
provenance of history.
• Descriptive data that can be derived from artifacts
are only a small part of the periods which they
belong.
• A historical context can be given to them only if they
can be placed in a human setting.
• Historical context - refers to the social, religious,
economic, and political conditions that existed
during a certain time and place.
• The lives of human beings can be assumed
from the retrieved artifacts BUT Without
further evidence, the human contexts of these
artifacts can never recaptured what had
happened in the past.
 Written Sources
of
history
• Categorized into three:
1. Narrative or literature
2. Diplomatic or judicial
3. Social documents
• Narrative or literature – are chronicles or
tracts presented in narrative form, written to
impart a message whose motives for their
composition vary widely.
• Examples:
• Scientific tract
• Newspaper articles
• Ego document or personal narrative
• Novel or film
• Diplomatic or judicial sources – are
understood to be those which
documents/record an existing legal situation
or create a new one, and it is these kinds of
sources that professional historians once
treated as the purest or the best source.
• Examples:
• Charter
• Legal documents
• A legal document is usually sealed or
authenticated to provide evidence that a legal
transaction has been completed or
authenticated to provide evidence that a legal
transaction has been completed and can be
used as evidence in a judicial proceedings in
case of dispute.
• Social documents – are information pertaining
to economic, social, political, or judicial
significance.
• They are records kept by bureaucracies.
• Examples:
• Government reports
• Parliamentary procedures
• Civil registry records
• Records of census
 Non-written Sources
of History
• Unwritten documents are as essential as written
sources.
• 2 types of Unwritten sources:
• Material
• Oral
• Material evidence aka archaeological evidence – is
one of the most important unwritten evidences.
• Examples:
• Pottery • Graves
• Jewelry
• dwellings
• These artifacts can tell a great deal about the
ways of life of people in the past, and their
culture.
• They can also reveal various things about the
socio-cultural interconnections of the different
groups of people especially when an object is
unearthed in more place.
• Any given place can be significant as they can
be traced as a former settlement site.
Samples of Historical Sites
• Oral Evidence – is also an important source of
information for historians.
• Examples:
• Tales or Sagas
• Folk songs
• During the present age, interviews is another
major form of oral evidence.
 Primary V. Secondary

• There are 2 general kinds of historical sources: the

direct or primary source and the indirect or the
secondary source.
• Primary source – are original, first-hand account of
an event or period that has usually written or made
during or close to the event or period.
• These sources are original and factual, not
interpretative.
• Their function is to provide facts.
• Examples:
– Diaries e.g. the diary of Anne Frank
– Journals e.g. PNHS journals
– Letters e.g. letters of Boni and Jacinto
– Newspapers e.g. Del Superior Govierno
– Magazine articles e.g. Registro Mercantil de
Manila
• Government records such as census, marriage
and military service are also examples of
primary sources.
• Interviews with people who lived during a
certain period of time are manifestations of
primary source.
• Secondary source – are materials made by
people long after the events being described
had taken place to provide valuable
interpretations of second-hand accounts of a
historical event.
• Examples:
• Biographies
• Literary criticism
• Histories
• Books
 Internal V. External
• It is not enough to have a historical source and
believe its face value.
• One should have a skeptical mind and be open to
new ideas.
• Our views should always be open for modification
in the face of new evidences or persuasive
arguments.
• It is necessary to interpret the document on the
reader’s own perspective.
• There are two processes in analyzing the
importance of historical information.
• External criticism – it examines the document’s
genuineness
• It studies the ff:
– Who made the document
– When did he do it
– Was the author living when he made the
document
– Relevance of the document to the present time
• Many documents have been proven as forgeries.
• Example: Kalantia Code
 Other Questions for External
Criticism
• For what purpose was the document written?
– A document written several decades ago after the
historical event may raise some doubts.
• Was there a promise or some form of reward
promised for this document?
• Was there any ulterior motive when this
document was created?
– The author may have written his historical account
to make himself look good or to avoid blame for
any debacle during the period being describe.
• Once the reader is convinced that the
document is genuine he may proceed to the
second process called Internal criticism.
• It is the method of determining whether the
contents of historical information is accurate.
• External criticism is all about the genuineness
of the document while, on the other hand,
internal criticism is concerned with what the
document is all about.
 Questions raised in Internal
Criticism
• Is it likely that what the author says happen really
did happen? What if it is just a hyperbole?
– A hyperbole is an exaggeration. Perhaps an event
really took place but additional information were
added to make it more interesting.
• Example: the movie “300”
• In what context did the author say what he said?
– When Rizal said that the youth is the hope of the
fatherland, he meant in the light of being
independent in thinking and in their responsibility
to their families.
• Was the author or the originator of the source
a major participant in the event?
• Was he a planner or minor participant or just
an observer?
– A major participant or planner certainly has a
different perspective than a minor participant or
observer. He can also speak with authority on the
event if he/she was a major participant.
• Was the author competent enough to
describe the event? Did he have the proper
qualifications to do so?
• Was the author emotionally connected to the
event?
– People whose country has been invaded by
foreigners will certainly give an unfavorable
description about the newcomers.
• Do other versions of the document exist?
– Authors tend to show their own perspective with
their writings.
 Activities

• Get a copy of at least 5 examples of Written

and unwritten sources. 5 examples of Primary
and Secondary sources. Give their provenance
and explain.
• Internal and External Criticism: Choose two
sources and critique them.(one primary and
one secondary) Answer the questions being
raise to come up with a comprehensive
criticism.
• The end