Chapter 1. What is History? Sources, Time and Evidence FREE
1. What is History? Sources, Time and Evidence
Have you ever wondered how we know what happened long before you were born? Nobody alive today saw the dinosaurs, watched the first ships arrive at the Cape, or stood in a kraal a thousand years ago. Yet we can still learn about these things. The way we do this is called history.
History is the study of what happened in the past, and how and why it happened. People who study and write about the past are called historians. A historian is a bit like a detective: they gather clues, ask questions, and try to work out the truth about what really happened.
The past, the present and the future
Time is split into three parts:
- The past — everything that has already happened, even one minute ago.
- The present — what is happening right now, today.
- The future — what has not happened yet, like next year.
History studies the past. But the past is not only about kings and big wars. It is also about ordinary people: what they ate, the clothes they wore, the games they played, and the homes they lived in. Your own grandmother's childhood in a small Karoo town is history too.
What is a source?
How do historians find out about the past? They use sources. A source is anything that gives us information or evidence about the past. Evidence means clues or proof that help us know what really happened.
There are two main kinds of sources:
- Primary sources were made at the time the event happened, by someone who was there. Examples: an old letter, a photograph taken on the day, a coin, a clay pot, a diary, or a piece of pottery dug up by archaeologists.
- Secondary sources were made later, by people who studied the primary sources. Examples: this study guide, a history textbook, a museum poster, or a TV documentary about the past.
Think of it this way: a soldier's letter written from a battlefield is a primary source. A book about that battle, written 100 years later, is a secondary source.
Worked example: sorting sources
Imagine a museum in Cape Town shows these four items. Which are primary and which are secondary?
- A diary written by a sailor in 1652 — primary (made at the time).
- A clay pot made by Khoikhoi herders long ago — primary (an actual object from the past).
- A school textbook printed in 2020 — secondary (written much later).
- A modern poster explaining the diary — secondary (made now to explain a source).
Different types of sources
Sources come in many forms. Historians divide them into groups:
- Written sources — letters, diaries, newspapers, lists and records.
- Visual sources — photographs, paintings, drawings and maps.
- Object (material) sources — tools, coins, pots, jewellery and buildings.
- Oral sources — stories told out loud and passed from grandparents to children. This is very important in many South African cultures.
Be careful — sources can be wrong
Not every source tells the full truth. Sometimes a person only saw part of what happened. Sometimes a writer wanted to make themselves look good, or wrote down a rumour. That is why historians do not trust just one source. They look at several sources and compare them. If many different sources agree, the evidence is stronger. This is called using reliable evidence.
Measuring time
To talk about the past, we need to measure time. Here are the units historians use:
- A decade = 10 years.
- A century = 100 years.
- A millennium = 1 000 years.
We also use BC (Before Christ) for years before year 1, and AD for years after. You may also see BCE (Before Common Era) and CE (Common Era), which mean the same thing.
A quick calculation: if a village was built in the year 1200 and we are now in 2025, how old is it?
\( 2025 - 1200 = 825 \) years old.
And how many centuries is that? Since one century is 100 years:
[ 825 \div 100 = 8{,}25 \text{ centuries} ]So the village is just over eight centuries old. You will practise much more time and timeline work in Chapter 2.
Why does history matter?
History helps us understand who we are and where we come from. It teaches us about the people who lived in South Africa long ago, the choices they made, and the mistakes we should not repeat. When you know your country's story, you can be a wiser citizen. In this book you will travel from the gold kingdom of Mapungubwe, across the seas with brave explorers, into the world of doctors and medicine, and right up to Heritage Day. Get your detective hat ready!