Value and limitations PDF

Title Value and limitations
Author Negar Hosseinnoori
Course Ancient History
Institution Beverly Hills Girls High School
Pages 2
File Size 70.4 KB
File Type PDF
Total Downloads 72
Total Views 160

Summary

guides a better understanding of analysing sources; values and limitations...


Description

















Value They provide the ‘who, what, where, when, how and why’ of an event, and of the life of an ancient personality.



Limitations They are often fragmentary or secondhand accounts of lost originals.



They were generally written by men from the upper classes about things that men controlled, such as wars and politics.



They tend to ignore the lives of women or present them from a man’s point of view.

Are sometimes based on the author’s own eyewitness accounts or experiences.



They often give unbalanced opinions and unfair perspectives due to selection of material and use of language.

They offer insight into an author’s particular perspective on his own times.



They can be used as sources of propaganda, some written to put themselves in a favourable light.



They often rely on oral sources with selfserving motives.



They may be based on tradition rather than truth.



They may include eyewitness accounts which are subjective.



They can be poor translations from original manuscripts leading to misinterpretations.



They can lack the author’s name and sources. (not cited)



They are able to be forged or corrupted

They can reveal aspects of social, economic, legal, political, religious and cultural life of a society.

They van lead historians to other less well-known sources.

They reveal the way history has been written over time (historiography)

They provide historical context for archaeological finds.

They can be used to authenticate an ancient artefact and help in the identification of fakes.



They are often difficult to read because of handwriting or due to unfamiliar words and phrases that have changed over time.



They often reflect an overactive imagination.

The ‘Reliability’ of a Source   

Reference to ACCURACY, CREDIBILITY, TRUSTWORTHINESS Necessary for a full representation of a society, person, event, etc. Reliability can often be threatened as humans are inherently flawed due to possible bias, a personal agenda and memory.

Factors that enhance/detract from the reliability of a source: 



 

Proximity to the event described PHYSICAL PROXIMITY (geographical) – can be unreliable TEMPORAL COMTEXT (time frame) – could influence personal bias Personal Bias Can be positive or negative Can be impacted by culture, education, gender, socioeconomic status, experiences, age � influence PERSONAL CONTEXT Corroborating Evidence Are there other sources that indicate the same thing? Motive or incentive Is there a purpose or motive for the creation of the source?...


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