Historical Terms - Historical Sources Explained
An historical source is something that tells us about History. It may be a document, a picture, a sound recording, a book, a cinema film, a television programme or an object.
There are two main types of historical source:
Primary Sources and Secondary Sources
A Primary source is something that originates from the past.
A Secondary source is something that has been made recently about the past.
For Example:
A Roman coin that was made by the Romans is a Primary Source, but a drawing of a Roman coin made in 2003 would be a Secondary Source.
OR
A Book written about the Tudors in 1525 would be a Primary Source, but a book written about the Tudors in 1995 would be a Secondary Source.
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