1. Gather a variety of sources
2. Categorize sources= written or non written
3. Evaluating sources= asking questions and time of origin (time of origin is primary or secondary source)
4. Interpret sources- point of view
5. Share their findings (theories)
Also they first have to find and gather the sources together (1). Then they use the sources (evidence) to study the past . The sources can be written or non-written. Examples of written sources are books, letters, diaries, speeches, papers, etc. Examples of non written sources are fossils, artifacts, tombs, cities, monuments, and oral tradition. Writing only started at about 3,000 B.C. Everything before that is called pre-history and sources rely on non-written sources for those times (2). They Also have to ask questions about the sources. The questions they ask about the sources are when, where, why, who, and what. You also have to question its accuracy, validity, and reliability(3). Then you have to examine the sources and decide how to interpreter the information. Sources of evidence are always open to interpreter (think good guy vs. bad guy). Its the point of view from other people. We see the world through our own beliefs and experiences, this applies to written and non-written sources (4). Then historians have to share the theories they produced which are backed up with a lot of evidence (5). Historians also don't do thins alone, the past and environment helped them. Without the past preserving some of their traditions and artifacts and people, we wouldn't know what to learn about the past. For example the past made tombs and mummies, they help us see what objects, food, drinks, clothing, and many more things were used in everyday life in those times,. Also mummies help us see how those people looked, if they were light or dark, short or tall, strong or weak, and much more. So the past was also a huge help to historians now-a-days. Also the environment helps historians because for example, some people froze their people to preserve them, they wouldn't be able to freeze them if the weather conditions were not right. Also natural disasters sometime help as well. Pompeii was an example because Mount Vesuvius erupted and froze the city completely, like a time capsule. That tells us almost everything there is to know about Pompeii. We just have to study it and use it. Its a little bit like school Pompeii froze and gave us all the materials for us to use, we just have to use them , learn from them, and record the facts. Thanks to historians and the evidence they find we also have proof that we were not that different from the people from the past. I hope this gives you an idea about how historians learn from the past.
