Chapter 1. What is History? Sources, Time and Evidence FREE
What Is History?
History is the story of the past. It is not only about kings, queens and famous battles - it is about the everyday lives of ordinary people too, such as San hunter-gatherers, Khoikhoi herders and the ancient Egyptians you will meet this year. Historians and archaeologists are like detectives. They ask questions such as who lived here, what did they eat, and how did they build their homes, and then they search for clues to answer those questions.
Finding Out About the Past: Sources
We cannot travel back in time, so historians use sources to find out what happened long ago. A source is any piece of evidence that tells us something about the past. There are several kinds of sources:
- Written sources - letters, diaries, newspapers and old documents.
- Oral sources - stories, songs and memories that are passed down by word of mouth from one generation to the next.
- Visual sources - photographs, paintings, maps and rock art.
- Objects - tools, pottery, jewellery and buildings that people used or made.
Archaeologists dig carefully into the ground to find objects that have been buried for hundreds or even thousands of years. Every broken pot, old tool or ancient bone can help us build a picture of how people lived.
Talking About Time
To study history well, we need special words for time. Long ago means something happened many years, or even centuries, in the past. Recently means something happened a short time ago. The past is everything that has already happened, while the present is what is happening now.
Historians often use a timeline to show events in the order that they happened. A timeline is a straight line marked with dates, moving from the earliest event on one side to the most recent on the other. Reading a timeline helps us understand which event came first and how much time passed between events.
Why History Matters
Learning history helps us understand how South Africa and the world became what they are today. It teaches us to look carefully at evidence before we believe something, just like a detective would. This year you will use these enquiry skills to explore the San and Khoikhoi, the first farmers, the ancient Egyptians and South Africa's rich heritage.