|
|
|
INTRODUCTION
History
is the story of the past. It is a
story of important events and things, which happened in the past
and influenced human life, sometimes thousands of years ago. The
important things which are happening today will make the history
of tomorrow. The people who write down history are called
historians.
Sources of History
Nowadays, we think of history as being
written in history books. But in earlier times, before books and
printing, history was passed on by word of mouth. People told
stories about their kings, their wars, their adventures and also
about their own families. Some early stories were made up in verse
and sung to music. This made it easier for people to remember the
stories correctly. It is called
Traditional History.
The system of writing is less than 6,000
years old, while human beings have existed on Earth for hundreds
of thousands of years. The period before people began to keep
written history records is called
prehistory.
|
In ancient Egypt, scholars recorded
about the reigns of the Pharaohs and listed the victories they
won in battle. This type of history is called
Written History.
This type of history is more accurate and reliable because
printed words never change. The Sumerians, Chinese, Greeks and
Romans were very interested in history. They wrote about their
civilizations.
|
In ancient Egypt,
scribes used hieroglyphs to record state documents and
important historical events.
|
Dating to 2500 BC,
the ruins of the ancient city of Mohenjo-Daro are found in the
province of Sind, Southern
Pakistan. |
Often
historians get their information from things like fossils and
hidden remains such as things found buried in old graves and
relics like utensils ornaments, tools and weapons used by
ancient people. The study of hidden remains is called
Archaeology.
Where there are no written records or traditional stories, the
findings of archaeologists
are the only way of studying about the life of the people in
prehistoric times and their arts, clothing or occupations,
etc.
|
|
|
|
