Vocabulary Vault
An account of the past constructed from evidence
What is history?
A Viking helmet from the year 987 AD
What is a primary source?
Determining who created a document, as well as when, where, and why it was created
What is sourcing?
A strong opinion that is based more on emotion than on evidence
What is bias?
An opinion supported by evidence
claim
Information or details from a source that can be used for a specific purpose
What is evidence?
A History Textbook chapter from 2016 about the War of 1812
What is a secondary source?
Reading a source closely to identify claims, evidence, and reasoning
What is close reading?
This refers to the author's unique perspective and how their background influences their recording of history.
POV
The reason why something was created or why an action was done
Purpose
An explanation for a claim that uses evidence to support it
What is an argument?
A museum curator put a vase from the Ming Dynasty (c.1400) on display in her museum with an informational plaque. She hired a historian to write a report on the vase and it's creator.
Identify three sources in this scenario.
Vase, plaque, report
Seeing whether multiple documents support or contradict one another
What is corroboration?
The group of people for whom a document was created, which can influence what the author chooses to emphasize
Intended Audience
"The Roman Empire was powerful, as shown by Roman roads, coinage, and written accounts from multiple regions." is an example of supporting a claim with what?
Evidence
The act of using symbols and notes to show what you are thinking while you read
What is annotating?
A 1976 book about The Pyramids of Giza inspired an archaeologist to travel to Egypt in search of new discoveries. While there, he met a famous Egyptologist who showed him Ancient Egyptian religious artifacts. He also read a 2019 scholarly article about Cleopatra and how her resting place has never been found. After years of searching he finally found the Tomb of Cleopatra.
Identify 4 sources in this scenario
1976 book, religious artifacts, 2019 article, tomb
Describing where an event took place, what led to it, and placing a document within its time and conditions
What is contextualization?
A soldier writing a diary entry praising his army while criticizing the enemy
What is an example of bias in a source?
What are you doing when you are checking multiple accounts helps balance perspectives and reveal contradictions?
Corroboration
The usefulness of information in a source for a given purpose
What is reliability?
A 1954 classic biography of Alexander the Great inspired a historian to travel to Alexandria in search of lost Macedonian outposts. While there, a local museum curator gave him access to a handwritten 18th-century explorer's diary. He also consulted a 2022 peer-reviewed journal article analyzing the geological shifts of the ancient coastline. On a whim, he bought a 1920 map from a street vendor, which perfectly matched the layout described in a translated fragment of a 1st-century Roman scroll. Following these clues, he successfully located the long-lost tactical outpost of the Macedonian army.
Identify 5 sources from this scenario
"When and where was this document created, and by whom?"
What is a key question asked when sourcing a document?
The Goal of Bias Analysis is...
To understand how the author’s perspective, time, and social position might shape what they include or leave out of their account.
"History is constructed from evidence, meaning different sources and perspectives yield different accounts" answers what important question from our unit
Why is there no such thing as "only one history" of any event?