Knowra Historical method Historical method Historical method is the systematic use of source criticism and evidence to investigate, interpret, and explain events in the past. It distinguishes corroborated conclusions from claims unsupported by surviving evidence.
Source criticism : The evaluation of a source’s origin, purpose, reliability, and evidential value. It provides the tests historians apply before using evidence.
Primary source : A source created by a person or institution involved in, or contemporary with, the events studied. Primary sources often supply direct evidence, while still requiring critical evaluation.
Thucydides : An ancient Greek historian whose account of the Peloponnesian War emphasized evidence and analysis of political causes. His work is an early example of systematic inquiry into contemporary events.
Antiquarianism : The collection and study of historical objects and traditions, often emphasizing description over explanation. Historical method turns collected traces into critically tested arguments about the past.
Historical source : A surviving object, text, image, or testimony that provides evidence about the past. Historical investigation begins with sources that can be examined and compared.
Secondary source : A work that analyzes or interprets evidence about the past, usually after the events studied. Historians use earlier scholarship as both evidence of interpretation and a subject for critique.
Enlightenment historiography : Historical writing shaped by Enlightenment interests in reason, progress, and broad social explanation. It expanded historical inquiry beyond chronicles of rulers and wars.
Historical presentism : The interpretation of past people and events primarily through the values or assumptions of the present. Source criticism and context help identify, rather than erase, present-day assumptions.
Historical evidence : Information from sources used to support or challenge claims about the past. It is the basis on which historical explanations are assessed.
Historiography : The study of how historical writing and interpretations have changed over time. It shows how historians’ questions and conclusions develop through debate.
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