How Do We Study the Past?
To find out about the past, historians use special research methods. These methods help them collect true and accurate information before telling the story of history.
Three Common Methods
- Oral method — talking to and interviewing people who remember or were told about past events.
- Written method — reading old documents, letters, diaries, records and books.
- Archaeology — digging at old sites to find and study artefacts such as tools, bones and pottery.
Key idea
Oral = ask people. Written = read documents. Archaeology = dig for artefacts.
Checking the Facts
An archaeologist is a person who digs for artefacts. By using more than one method, historians make sure the facts they find are correct. If one method leaves a gap, another can help fill it in. Museums help us see many of these artefacts today, so we can look closely at real pieces of the past.
Remember
- Interview = oral method.
- Reading records = written method.
- Digging for artefacts = archaeology.