I HISTORY NOTE-GRADE_11 PREPARED BY OROMOO STUDENTS
UNIT ONE
HISTORY AND THE HISTORIANS CRAFT
1.1 The Meaning and Use of History
History is a branch of knowledge that deals with all that had been done by people who lived in the past. By learning their deeds we do not repeat the mistakes of the past. It also helps us to increase our understanding of the past and present society and may forecast about future society.
1.2 Key Elements in the Study of History
Among the key elements in the study of history sources are the decisive ones. No one can write history without sources. Historians use two main types of sources in their research. They are called
Primary sources and
Secondary sources
▪︎Primary sources- have direct relations to the events and nearer in time and place to the event. But, Secondary source- does not have direct relations or nearness to the event.
Examples of primary sources are;
Monuments diaries eye-witness
Inscriptions memories
Coins chronicles
Letters documents
Examples of secondary sources are
History book
Oral traditions
Novels etc.
▪︎Primary sources are more reliable than secondary sources because they have immediacy to the event and as such they are better sources of history. However, critical evaluation of both primary and secondary sources is very important for establishing their authenticity and for clear and deep understanding of the meaning of our evidence. Otherwise there is the possibility of miss-representation or wrong interpretation of historical evidences. Historical information also presented in an attractive and readable way to the reader. Objectivity is another key element in the study of history.
1.3 The Study of Ethiopian History
An Ethiopian study was founded in Europe in the 17thc by a Germen historian named Job- Ludolf (1624-1704). Ludolf wrote the first modern history of Ethiopia, which was published in 1684. The establishment of the institute of Ethiopian studies (IES) in the early 1960,s at the Haile sellassie I university college changed the pattern of Ethiopian studies. Ethiopian studies focused only on the north until 1960,s because the northern part has the following advantages;
A, the north had been in contact with the outside world as result ,Arab, Greek and Roman writers had left important information for the study of its history.
B, the north has written language that served to keep records and so many chronicles of the Christian kings are available.
C, since the Christian kingdom had maintained strong contact with the Egyptian Coptic church several sources on the kingdom are available in Egyptian archives.
D, Northern inscriptions and monuments are studied by large, etc.
In case of the southern part of the country the people’s history is not studied thoroughly. Furthermore, the south has no written language as such to keep its history recorded. In addition to these scholars was unwilling to use oral traditions as legitimate historical source until recent times.
1.4. Periodization in History
Time is an important factor in the study of history. This is because it simplifies the works of historians and historians present past events by organizing them according to their sequence of time. After that history is studied on the basis of periodization. The starting point for this periodazition is proposed to be 2 million years before present (B.P). This was the time when early humans began to walk on upright position and began to produce and use instruments of labour. Generally, history of humanity is divided in to two major periods called pre-history and history. The period of history began about 6000 B.P with the beginning of the technique of writing. This period is further divided in to three minor periods called ancient, medieval and modern. However, there are no uniform and fixed time gaps for the subdivisions throughout the world for instance;
The ancient period of European history started from the rise of civilization in ancient Greece about 1,250B.C and lasted up to 5thc.
The medieval period lasted from the 5thc A.D up to the 16thc.
The modern period dates from the 16thc A.D up to the present.
■Periodization in African history has developed unique features as a result of European colonization and expressed in terms of pre-colonial, colonial and post-colonial.
■Periodization in Ethiopia is different from the rest of African countries; because of Ethiopia is the only country that succeeded in keeping its independence by averting attempts of the European colonizers. In this regard
The ancient period of Ethiopian history falls between 1000B.C – 1270AD
The medieval period lasted from 1270A.D up to 1855A.D and
The period since 1855A. is called modern period.
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