History Vocabulary

Primary Sources

Historical evidence that comes directly from the period being studied Arrowhead from the Palaeolithic period The story of Gilgamesh and Enkidu My picture from high school

Secondary Sources

Evidence that is produced “after the fact”

Is an interpretation of primary evidence A biography on Trudeau A reproduction of a sword A lecture about Socrates

Artifact Artifacts are human-made objects from

the time being studied They are also a kind of primary source

Pottery shard from Troy Jewellery from the Titanic My leather tie from the 80s

Document Documents are primary source

writings from the period being studied

Words are considered “alive”; therefore, even a translation or copy of the original words is still considered to be a primary source An autobiography Your birth certificate This note that you are taking

Chronology Anything that is in order of time

Your planner A collection of yearbooks A timeline

What year is it?

Different cultures have different starting points for their chronologies.

Ancient Greeks – 1st Olympics

Romans – Birth of Rome’s founders

This year could be: Muslims: 1434 Christians:

2013 Chinese: 4650 Jews: 5773

Terms For consistency a single system has

been adopted worldwide. Old term BC (Before Christ) is

replaced with BCE (Before Common Era)

Old term AD (Anno Domini) is replaced with CE (Common Era)

Use either set of terms, but do so consistently

Anachronism Something that is in the

wrong time Machine gun in a gladiator

movie A crane building the

pyramids A maple leaf Canadian flag

in WWII

Fact A statement of verified information

which can be shown to be true Even facts can be misleading – context,

interpretation and completeness all contribute to the real veracity of the fact in question

Opinion A personal belief or preference that is

not necessarily founded on evidence Not all opinions are equal (see

Judgement)

Judgement (reasoned judgement)

Often mistaken for opinion This can be called an opinion or

viewpoint but is supported with evidence

Bias A view that prevents objective consideration of an

issue or situation Also relates to perspective We are all biased Always look for this!

Unbias?

Types of Evidence

Statistical evidence: has been compiled and studied from a larger body of data.

(Non-smokers will live 10-15 years longer than smokers, statscan 2011)

Types of Evidence

Anecdotal evidence: is a case study, or true story which helps illuminate the issue and should only be used when it supports the statistical evidence.

My grandma smoked a pack a day and lived to be 100. –some kid in my class

The slide you were waiting for Technology – invention and innovation Social – the lives of ordinary people Political – government, leaders and movements Economic – trade, commerce, money, jobs Religious – in/formal spiritual beliefs and practices Military – defense, conquest – methods and events