How do Historians Learn About the Past?

We learn about the past because of what historians have shown us. But how do they learn?

They must search for themselves. First they must :

-Gather information and sources, with either primary sources (sources made or written during or immediately after the event) or secondary sources (made much after). They must then :

-Categorize their sources, into : written sources, like articles about what other historians have to say about it, books, letters documents or diaries, or non-written sources, like oral tradition, artifacts, fossils or monuments, such as tombs, buildings, statues and cities. The next step is to :

-Evaluate their sources. They must ask the five W's : Where, When, Who, Why. What. (They can also ask How, but that is another story.) They must ask more questions, study the information and other sources, basically anything that, in the end, will prove that the information is valid. Once they are sure, they will :

-Interpret their information. They will bring out the meaning of the information, find out more. Finally, they will :

-Share their findings and theories. The world must know! They may write a book, make a documentary, write an article, be interviewed, make a website... anything. 

"To archaeologists, the human past is owned by no one. It represents the cultural heritage of everyone who has ever lived on Earth or will live on it in the future. Archaeology puts all human societies on an equal footing."

Brian Fagan. 1996. Introduction to the Oxford Companion to Archaeology Oxford University Press, New York.

In the Past, Where did Humans Tend to Settle and Why?

Humans need food, water and shelter, so they must live in places where these things are present. They also need the right climate and topography.

Deserts have no food, no water, no shelter and are horribly hot during the day and very cold at night. If they can help it, people will not settle there

In the far North and far South, it is absolutely freezing.

However, Eskimos live there. They don't really have a choice, I guess. But if you think about it, they always have stayed there. Their generation is adapted to it. If a random African turned up in the Arctic, chances are they would not survive for very long because they are not used to the climate and food. But Eskimos? They can do it. Why? Simply because they always have done.

But if you take a tribe of people in the Middle East, year -2000, they will not set up camp just anywhere. They will settle down near water. This has huge benefits: To drink, to bathe in, to cool one down. And very importantly, land near water is usually very fertile land. If things are not already growing there, you can plant them, provided you have seeds.

It is also great if the place has trees or long grass. Without them, you can't make huts. These are vital if you want shelter. Which you definitely do if you value your chances of survival. You also can't make fires, which you need badly.

Not too far from a plain where animals are is also good. Humans eat a lot of meat. If you have water and long grass near you, there is a good chance of it.

So humans tended to settle in places where there was water, plants and animals. They then made civilisations, which developed into the big cities of today.

What is History and Why do We Study it?

HISTORY. IS. THE PAST. History is the reason of our existence. Without history, we would not be. If we didn't study it, we wouldn't know anything. Our inventions, our ideas, our life came from our ancestors. We need to know about it.
So we learned from our ancestors. And who did they learn from? Their  ancestors, who in turn learned from theirs. And from history classes. Without history, how would we know who discovered America? Who made mummies? Who made human sacrifices? Who believed what?
We wouldn't. And without knowing these things, our lives would be boring. We wouldn't have what we have today: cars, books, sports...

And discovering history and archaeology is interesting and the evidence is beautiful. Take the Greek vase shown above. Is that not beauty? In whatever form, history is beautiful. Well, except for the yucky parts, anyway.

To know the truth of history is to realize its ultimate myth and its inevitable ambiguity.

Roy P. Basler