An historical source is something that tells us about the past. There are many different sources which contain information about the past. A source may be a document, a picture, a photograph, a sound recording, a book, a film, a television programme or an object.

There are two main types of historical sources:

Archaeologists and historians use the information from both these sources to gather information so as to record history.

1.  Complete the word search. Make sure you know what each historical term refers to!

H / A / P / P / E / N / C / W / V / C / S / M / Q
B / I / Y / I / J / Y / R / O / T / S / I / H / W
Y / M / S / Y / K / O / V / Q / D / T / D / N / D
E / N / E / T / I / M / E / L / I / N / E / B / A
A / B / F / U / O / L / W / C / E / G / F / V / T
R / X / Y / N / R / R / E / M / Y / O / R / C / E
T / Z / T / W / E / K / I / N / P / L / A / C / E
Y / H / H / Q / T / U / Y / A / H / L / U / V / Y
U / Y / X / E / Y / J / S / G / N / K / E / G / U
I / T / C / L / K / T / U / O / J / N / I / F / H
O / R / V / P / M / H / I / B / T / Y / O / E / N
C / H / R / O / N / O / L / O / G / Y / P / W / B
Q / E / U / E / V / D / O / E / O / H / O / S / F
W / D / I / P / C / S / P / W / P / B / M / A / W

2.  Use this link to revise the concepts of primary and secondary evidence http://www.historyonthenet.com/Lessons/sources/primarysecondary.htm

Use the famous nineteenth century painting by W. F. Yeames, to collect evidence so that you can write the story that goes with the picture.

3.  Examine the following types of evidence available to historians and then divide them into primary and secondary sources:

archaeological finds photographs

voice recordings Anne Frank’s diary

government reports memoirs

a history book eye-witness accounts

artefacts evidence given in court by a witness

original letters film footage

maps and drawings legends, songs and praise poetry

newspapers rock paintings

fossils elders of a community

archival material a copy of A Long Walk to Freedom by Mandela

LO1: 7.1.1; 7.1.2; 7.1.4

LO 2: 7.2.2

LO 3: 7.3.1; 7.3.2; 7.3.3; 7.3.4;