Analysing evidence When using historical sources as evidence, historians need to ask questions of each source, such as: Where did the source come from (origin)? Why was it created (purpose)? A source may be a fact or someone’s opinion — that is, it could be biased . One way to test sources for reliability is to compare them with other sources. If this evidence leads to the same conclusion, we call it ‘supporting evidence’. If it leads to different conclusions, we have ‘contradictory evidence’. When we use sources to try to find out about the past, we must ask some questions. For example: • What type of source is this? • Who wrote or created this source and when was it written or created?
• Why was this source written or created? • What evidence does the source provide? • What was happening at the time the source was written or created? • Can I trust the source? 1.2.6 Continuity and change
When studying different societies, historians can see that some aspects of life have remained the same over time, while other aspects of life have changed dramatically. This concept is known as ‘identifying continuity and change’. Change refers to something that is different from what has occurred in the past. It may occur over a long period of time or may occur dramatically and suddenly. Continuity refers to the things that endure, relatively unchanged, over time. You will find that many things remain the same across long periods in history. Sometimes these continuities have lasted into modern times.
SOURCE4 The ruins of an ancient house at Sardis, located in present-day Türkiye (formally Turkey)
SkillBuilder discussion Continuity and change 1. Consider house building. Look at the images — what are the main changes in construction? 2. What remains the same?
SOURCE5 A modern suburban house in Western Australia
8 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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