Historical source facts for kids

Historical source is like a special clue from the past. It's an original item or piece of information that helps us learn about history. Think of historians as detectives, and historical sources are the clues they use to figure out what happened long ago.

These clues can be many things! They might be old coins, ancient tools, big monuments, or written papers like documents. They also include things found by archaeologists, like artifacts (objects made by people) or archaeological sites (places where old things are found). Even stories passed down by talking, stone carvings, paintings, old recordings, or pictures are historical sources. Old relics and ruins are also great clues!

There are different types of historical sources that historians use: primary sources, secondary sources, and tertiary sources.

Discovering Different Kinds of Sources

Primary Sources: First-Hand Clues

A primary source is like a direct witness to history. It's something created at the time an event happened, or by someone who experienced it. These sources give us a first-hand look at the past.

Think about old buildings, roads, or things found during archaeological digs. These are "material sources" that show how people lived and settled down long ago. Old maps, drawings, or written descriptions are also primary sources. They tell us what people saw or thought back then. Historians try to gather all these different clues to get a full picture of history.

Secondary Sources: Looking Back at History

A secondary source is usually a book, article, or report written by someone who did NOT directly experience the event. Instead, they looked at primary sources and then wrote about them.

For example, a history textbook you read in school is a secondary source. It explains events by using information from many primary sources. These sources often analyze or comment on primary sources.

Tertiary Sources: Guides to Information

A tertiary source is like a guide or a list of other sources. It doesn't usually contain new information itself. Instead, it helps you find primary and secondary sources.

Examples of tertiary sources include encyclopedias, dictionaries, or bibliographies (lists of books). They help you get a quick overview of a topic and then point you to where you can find more detailed information.

See also

• Historical document
• Archive

Images for kids

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  A robot representing a helpful guide to information.