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History : Meaning and Definition

Record of the past event Some other definition of History: 1. A continuous, systematic narration of past events related to a particular people, country,
period, person, etc., usually written as a chronological account. 2. The record of past events and times, especially in connection with the human race. 3. A past notable for its important, unusual, or interesting events. 4. Acts, ideas, or events that will or can shape the course of the future; 5. A systematic account of any set of natural phenomena without particular reference to time: 6. History is a story about the past that is significant and true. History (from Greek historia, meaning "inquiry, knowledge acquired by investigation") is the study of the human past. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. It is a field of research which uses a narrative to examine and analyze the sequence of events, and it sometimes attempts to investigate objectively the patterns of cause and effect that determine events. History is: 1. Written 2. Said 3. Preserved

The stories common to a particular culture, but not supported by external sources are usually classified as cultural heritage rather than the history. Archaeology: is a discipline that is especially helpful in dealing with buried sites and objects, which, once unearthed, contribute to the study of history.

Periods of History:
1. Prehistory: Events of the past prior to written record are considered prehistory. Stone Age 2. Ancient History: The study from the beginning of human history until the Early Middle Ages. 3.
4. 5. 6. Paleography: study of ancient texts. Medieval History: Starts from the fall of the Roman Empire a) Age of Reason b) Age of Discoveries c) Age of Industrialization Comparative history: historical analysis of social and cultural entities not confined to national boundaries. Contemporary history: the study of historical events that are immediately relevant to the present time. Modern history : the study of the Modern Times, the era after the Middle Ages. World History: the study of history from a global perspective.

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Unit of History:
1. 2. 3. 4. Time Period: 14th century, Regions: History of the Sub-Continent, History of Europe, Race: History of Arab, History of Mongols, Person: Alexander, King Akbar,

Conflict in History:
Historians write in the context of their own time, and with due regard to the current dominant ideas of how to interpret the past, and sometimes write to provide lessons for their own society. All events that are remembered and preserved in some authentic form constitute the historical record. The task of historical discourse is to identify the sources which can most usefully contribute to the production of accurate accounts of past.
1. Collection of Facts 2. Selection of Facts 3. Interpretation of Facts It is obvious that no researcher is a blank slate. We all start with some preconceived notions about what is true and what is not. It should not and can not be otherwise. The accuracy of an historian's version of past events depends greatly on the soundness of his world view.

Importance of Learning History: 1. Understanding of the past helps a person understand oneself. 2. History helps us to understand the present.
3. It distinguishes between hero and a guilty. Socrates 4. The legacy goes on. 5. History offers a storehouse of information about how people and societies behave. 6. The Skills Students Develop a) The Ability to Assess Evidence. b) The Ability to Assess Conflicting Interpretations.

7. Students of history acquire, by studying different phases of the past and different societies in the past, a broad perspective that gives them the range and flexibility required in many work situations. They develop research skills, the ability to find and evaluate sources of information, and the means to identify and evaluate diverse interpretations. Work in history also improves basic writing and speaking skills and is directly relevant to many of the analytical requirements in the public and private sectors, where the capacity to identify, assess, and explain trends is essential. 8. "History is for human self-knowledge. Knowing yourself means knowing, first, what it is to be a person; secondly, knowing what it is to be the kind of person you are; and thirdly, knowing what it is to be the person you are and nobody else is. Knowing yourself means knowing what you can do; and since nobody knows what they can do until they try, the only clue to what man can do is what man has done. The value of history, then, is that it teaches us what man has done and thus what man is." Robin G. Collingwood, 1889-1943, British philosopher