LESSON 1.5 SkillBuilder: Using historical sources
LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this SkillBuilder you should be able to use historical sources.
1.5.1 Tell me What are the main ancient Greek sources? Ancient Greek sources include pottery, tombs, temples, fortiýcations, weapons, tools, coins, theatres and written records. They also include artworks such as statues and other sculptures in stone and bronze and the paintings that decorated vases and other types of pottery. Why is it important to analyse and corroborate ancient Greek sources? Almost all of our knowledge of ancient Greece comes from such sources. Works of art, in particular, tell us much about ancient Greek culture, especially myths and religious ideas. Buildings and sculptures tell us about technology, skills and values. Written records tell us about Greek ideas about politics, myths, history, science and a vast range of other subjects. Not all ancient Greek sources are really primary sources as some were written long after the events they describe.
SOURCE1 A sixth century BCE Spartan cup showing Spartan soldiers returning from war carrying a slain comrade
1.5.2 Showme How do we analyse and corroborate ancient Greek sources?
When you study an ancient source, you need to think carefully about the clues it provides and ask questions about its accuracy, usefulness and reliability. You need to ask questions such as: 1. What is it? 2. Who created it and when was it created? 3. Who or what was it created for? 4. For what aspect of ancient Greek history does it provide useful evidence? 5. Is the evidence it provides accurate and reliable and how can we tell this? 6. What conclusions can we draw from the source about ancient Greek society? These questions have been applied to SOURCES1 and 2 . Ancient writers and many later historians have regarded Spartans as tough soldiers who would die ýghting rather than surrender or run from battle. SOURCES1 and 2 are relevant to this issue. 1. What is it? It is a cup with a design showing Spartan soldiers carrying the body of a comrade killed inbattle. 2. Who created it and when was it created? We do not know who made it but we know that it was created in Sparta in the sixth century BCE.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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