A number of objects used by our
ancestors still exist. Some inscriptions from
the past have been recovered. Sources like
these help us to understand our history.
History can also be learnt through customs
and traditions, folk arts, folk literature as
well as historical documents. All these are
known as ‘sources of history’. These are of
three types : material sources, written
sources and oral sources.
designs on ancient potsherds. The ornaments
and other artefacts throw light on social
interaction. We get information about the
diet of the people from the remains of
foodgrains, seeds and bones of animals
found in excavations. Also, we find the
remains of houses and buildings built in
different historical periods. We also find
ancient coins and seals. All these give us
information about human activities in the
past. All such artefacts, articles,
monuments or their ruins are called the
‘material sources’ of history 2.1 Material Sources
Man uses a variety of things in
his day-to-day life. They are known as
artefacts. Artefacts used by humans in the
past provide us valuable information about
life in the ancient times. We can decide the
period of ancient artefacts like earthern
pots by studying the shape, colour and 2.2 Written sources
The Stone Age people have recorded
many events and expressed their emotions
in paintings on rocks. It was only after
thousands of years that man learnt the art
of writing.
In the beginning, humans used symbols
and signs to record their thoughts and ideas.
However, it took thousands of years for a
script to develop from these.
In the beginning, man wrote on
potsherds, unbaked bricks using pointed
objects. He also used birch (bhurja) tree
bark to write on. As his experience and
knowledge increased, he began to write in
different ways. He began to record the
events that took place around him. Accounts
of the proceedings of royal courts were also
written systematically. Many rulers had
their orders, judicial decisions, donations
etc inscribed on stone or copper-plates.
Over a period of time, many forms of
literature developed. They included books
on religious and social subjects, plays,
poetry, travelogues and scientific works.
All this literature helps us to understand the
history of the various historical periods.
These sources are known as the ‘written
sources of history’. 2.3 Oral sources
Owis, folk songs, folk tales and
similar literature is passed on from
generation to generation by word of
mouth. This literature is not in the written
form. Its authors are unknown. This type
of literature preserved by oral tradition
forms the ‘oral sources’ of history
2.4 Sources of ancient Indian history
The ancient period of Indian history
extends from the Stone Age to the eighth
century CE. We learn about the Stone Age
period of Indian history through
archaeological excavations. Since scripts
had not developed at that time, no written
sources are available. However, information
about the ancient period from 1500 BCE
onwards can be derived from Vedic
literature. In the beginning, the Vedas were
not in the written form. The ancient Indians
had developed the technique of memorizing
and reciting them. The Vedas were written
down later on. The Vedas and the postVedic literature form an important source
of ancient Indian history. It includes the
Brahmanas, the Upanishads, the epics
Ramayana and Mahabharata, the Jain and
Buddhist literature, plays, poems, stone
and pillar inscriptions, travelogues of
foreign travellers etc. We also learn about
ancient Indian history through material
sources like archaeological remains,
ancient monuments and coins found in
excavations.
2.5 Precautions to be taken while writing
history
It is necessary to take precautions while
using these sources to write history. A
written document cannot be said to be
authentic just because it is old - it needs to
be examined critically as to who wrote it,
why and when it was written. The
conclusions drawn on the basis of various
genuine documents have to be crosschecked and corroborated with one another.
Such a critical analysis is very important in
the writing of history
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