Primary Sources World History

PRIMARY SOURCES:

A primary source is a document or a physical object that was written or created during the time under study by witnesses who experienced the event or condition first-hand.

Primary sources are the raw materials of history and include items such as diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters, interviews, news film footage, official records, autobiographies. Primary sources can also include creative works (poetry, drama, novels, art) or relics and artifacts (pottery, clothing, buildings, furniture).

SECONDARY SOURCES:

Secondary sources interpret and analyze primary sources and are one or more steps removed from the event that is being reported. Examples include journal articles, which interpret or review previous findings; textbooks, criticisms; encyclopedias; commentaries.

Reference:

Montana State University Billings. (n.d.). History - HSTR 365: History of the Ancient Near East: Primary Sources. https://libguides.msubillings.edu/c.php?g=242171&p=1610054#:~:text=Primary%20sources%20are%20the%20raw,footage%2C%20official%20records%2C%20autobiographies.

Search OneSearch to find primary sources published in books.

First, use the Advanced Search feature.

Next, using the pull down arrow, select SUBJECT. Then enter one of these recommended subject headings. 

• sources
• personal narratives
• diaries
• correspondence
• autobiography

After selecting a subject, select your TOPIC OF INTEREST.  Examples include:

• Greece
• Rome
• Egypt
• China
• India
• Architecture

These are examples of some of library books that include primary sources.

Some examples include:

• Perseus Digital Library

  Tufts University website, which covers the history, literature, and culture of the Greco-Roman world.

• Diotima: Women and Gender in the Ancient World

• Theoi Greek Mythology

  The aim of the project is to provide a comprehensive, free reference guide to the gods (theoi), spirits (daimones), fabulous creatures (theres) and heroes of ancient Greek mythology and religion.

• New Advent Fathers of the Church

• Lacus Curtius: Into the Roman World

  Maps, texts, and other items related to Rome.

• Digital Dead Sea Scrolls

  From the Israel Museum and Google, digitized scrolls include the Great Isaiah Scroll, War Scroll, Temple Scroll, Community Rule Scroll, and the Commentary on Habakkuk Scroll. The Dead Sea, the scrolls include Hebrew biblical and non-biblical texts dating from about 200-700 BCE.

• EuroDocs: Online Sources for European History

  European primary historical documents that are transcribed, reproduced in facsimile, or translated. They shed light within the respective countries over a broad range of historical happenings (political, economic, social and cultural). The order of documents is chronological wherever possible, and may include video or sound files, maps, databases, and other documentation.