Sources History

Class - IV Session 2021 - 2022 Subject - S.
ST
Name ________________________________ Sec _______ Date_______
Sources of History
How do we find out what happened in the past ?
History is the study of the past.History tells us about people

who lived in the past and the events that had happened in
the past.How do we find out about these people and
events of the past?
Study the pictures given

above.These pictures are clues that help historians to learn something about the
people and events of the past.Such clues are called the sources of history.
For example, coins give us a lot of information.
● From the name or picture on an old coin,historians learn which ruler or king had
the coin made.
● From the date they learn when he ruled.
● From the writing on the coin they learn which language was used at that time.
● If the coin is made of gold or silver,they can tell that the kingdom was wealthy.
There are many different types of sources of history.Some of the sources of history
are :
Written Records, Monuments, Artefacts & Coins, Oral Sources, Inscriptions.
It is important for us to remember that we learn about the past only because these
sources tell us about earlier times and earlier people. If there are many sources - many
clues - about a particular time, historians get a full picture of that period. If there are just
a few sources, we are able to get only some idea of that particular period.
These sources of history are broadly divided into two types - the archaeological sources
and literary sources.
Archaeological Sources
The archaeological sources are the most direct evidence for the study of history and
prehistory. These are the original sources which cannot be tampered by human beings.
These sources include :
A. Inscriptions
Sometimes rulers used to inscribe messages and writings
on rocks,stones or metals.Such writings are very important
sources of history as it is not possible to alter the contents
once engraved in the stone or metal. We have learnt a lot
about the great emperor Ashoka through such inscriptions.
A rock inscribed with Ashoka’s message
B. Coins
The study or collections of coins is called
‘Numismatics’. Coins serve as an important
and reliable source as they give us
information about the various kings that
would have ruled in a particular territory,
their names and chronology, their period of
reign, the extent of their empires and their
particular field of interest. They also furnish
many other information about the kingdom or state. For
Example, the gold and silver coins excavated from a
territory tells us that the kingdom was rich.
The earliest coins were not very well made. They were just
bits of metal with deep marks. Coin - making got better
over the centuries. Coins of later centuries also carried
more information.
C. Monuments
Any building, statue, or structure of historical
significance is called a monument. It may include
temples, forts, palaces, stupas, monasteries, etc. From
these monuments we get to know about the period and
the rulers who had built them.Some famous monuments
are the Pyramids of Egypt, the Taj Mahal in Agra,the Qutub Minar and
Red Fort in New Delhi.
D. Artefacts
Artefacts are objects made by
human beings, especially one of
cultural or historical interest. These
objects include things like
pottery,paintings, jewellery,tools and
weapons. The study of these artefacts is known as archaeology.An expert in
archaeology is known as archaeologist.They have learnt a lot about the earlier
people by studying these artefacts.
For example, if a toy bullock cart made of clay is found,

archaeologists know that the people who lived there knew
how to use clay to make toys.They can also understand
that those people used real bullock carts.
Literary Sources
Books are the most common type of literary

sources.Sometimes books are written in a language that
people can read even today.For example, many ancient
Indian books are written in Sanskrit, which people can
read.
The books that were originally written by hand in the past
are called manuscripts. They were written either on the
palm leaves or the bark of birch trees.
There are different types of written sources :
a. Accounts of rulers
Some of you maintain a diary where you keep a record of the important events in
your life.Similarly rulers like Babur wrote down their experiences and these have
become great sources of history.
b. Religious writings
Religious books also give us some idea of earlier
times.The Ramayana which tells us the story of Lord Rama,
also helps us to understand how rulers and ordinary people
lived in early times.
c. Accounts of travellers
Sometimes foreign visitors wrote about the place they
visited.Many foreign visitors had left written records about
the things they saw and about the happenings of the
times.The accounts of Fa Hien and Hiuen Tsang (Chinese
pilgrims) give interesting descriptions of what they saw.
Oral sources:
You must have heard stories from your grandparents about the
way they lived when they were your age.Some old stories, songs,
poems and folk- tales told by your grandparents to your parents
would have been passed down to you.These are known as oral
sources of history. Even today some people who had
experienced British rule tell us stories which may not be in the
history books but are stored in their memory and passed on.
All these different types of sources help us to understand the past

and how people of earlier times lived.
Need To Preserve Sources Of History
The historical and archaeological sources are the keys to know our past. The beginning
of human existence appeared on the earth’s surface about 5.6 million years ago.
The evidence of human fossils, stone tools and cave paintings help us to understand
early human history. In the beginning human
beings got food by hunting animals and
gathering food. We find hunter-gatherer
societies in some parts of the world even today.
The river valley civilizations were the
storehouses of archaeological evidence. There
are numberless prehistoric, historic and
archaeological evidence to tell the past. We
have to keep these various sources intact.

Sources History

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Class - IV Session 2021 - 2022 Subject - S.

Name ____________________________ Sec _ Date_____

History is the study of the past.History tells us about people

Study the pictures given

These sources include :

For example, if a toy bullock cart made of clay is found,

Books are the most common type of literary

There are different types of written sources :

All these different types of sources help us to understand the past

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