History and its Challenges
History entails making claims and arguments concerning what occurred in the past on the basis of what people recorded in form of oral traditions, written documents, and cultural artifacts. However, historians often don't agree over what the facts are and how they should be interpreted. Thus, this poses a great problem of history being rewritten. In writing history, the main goal is not collecting the details and facts about the past but rather to get insights into the realities and ideas that played a role in shaping the lives of people in earlier societies (Starnes 298).
Collaboration and Interlinking Disciplines
Additionally, the main aim in writing history is to evoke a response from the target population and persuade them of our understanding. Therefore, writing history requires a collaborative effort from archaeologists, anthropologists, and historians. Archaeology, anthropology, and history are interlinked completely (Orser 82). In studying ancient civilizations and cultures, a great degree of what is studied hails from archaeological expeditions. These expeditions succeed in revealing remains of humans and artifacts from those earlier years. Similarly, historians focus on studying parts of the past where written records exist. Conversely, when dealing with a section of the past where written records are minimal or do not exist at all, such as prehistory, archaeologists come in handy. Mainly, this is because they are able to avail significant sources of information from remains of materials such as architectural ruins and graves. Moreover, they are able to discover newly written texts in rock inscriptions or lost pieces of parchment. Correspondingly, anthropologists can provide historians with rich invaluable details and information which they may fail to come across while reviewing texts. The main tasks that anthropologists do are conducting fieldwork by means of collecting data on oral history, folklore and traditions passed from one generation to another without writing.
The Role of Archaeology and Anthropology
Both archaeology and anthropology aid us in understanding culture and history. Archaeology provides a unique view of the culture and history of humans that has been contributing significantly to the understanding of both the recent and ancient past. Archaeologists are able to help us comprehend not only why and how people lived but also when and where they lived. On the other hand, anthropologists view history, not as one but many things. First, it is changing, diachronic as opposed to the synchronic process. Secondly, anthropology dictates that history is a source of artifacts and events that make systems of signification, value, and purpose of the realm of human action. Lastly, it explains history as the past that specifically survives oral or written records and in archives.
Writing History and its Complexity
Based on the above findings, writing history is not simply a one-man job. It involves efforts from concerned parties so as to come up with factual new details that have not been previously put across. In his findings, (Tosh) puts across that good historical writing is accurate, precise, factual and analytical. Superb history writers are able to develop a compelling narrative that makes sense based on the evidence that has been gathered without forcing information to fit in an analytical structure that has already been predetermined. In conclusion, it is vital to understand that history informs current concerns and gives insights that help us understand how scientific knowledge is related to culture and society in which it comes from. The notion that only specific individuals should write history should be looked into since history relies on many factors.
Works Cited
Orser, Charles E. "Uniting Public History and Historical Archaeology." The Public Historian 3.1
(1981): 75-83.
Starnes, D. T. "Purpose in the Writing of History." Modern Philology 20.3 (1923): 281-300.
Tosh, John. The pursuit of history: Aims, methods and new directions in the study of history.
Routledge, 2015.
