Primary and Secondary Sources

Different Kinds of Sources

There are three different kinds of sources which historians can use as evidence:

·         Written sources: some of these records may be handwritten, others may be printed.

·         Non-written sources: include the remains of people (bones) and the things people made and used, such as buildings, tools, weapons, ornaments and pottery- these are called artifacts. Visual sources­: paintings, drawings and photographs are also useful. Tapes, records, videos and films are modern non-written sources.

·         Oral sources: stories or remembrances about the past that are handed down by word of mouth.

Historical evidence can be further divided into primary sources and secondary sources:

·         Primary sources: come from the actual time the historian is studying. Examples are skulls, artifacts, buildings, accounts of events written at the time, photographs and most paintings.

·         Secondary sources: are made after the period the historian is studying.  Examples are published books, letters or interviews with people who witnessed historical events. Sometimes they are the writings and drawings of other historians who have selected and interpreted primary sources.

The role of the historian is to decide what sources to use, what questions to ask of them, and how to interpret the evidence from the sources. These decisions will inevitably be influenced by personal attitudes and opinions, but the honest historian will try to be as fair as possible in producing a reliable account.