DEFINITION
Historiography
is the art or science of
writing history
MEANING
OF HISTORY?
1. Study of human past
2. Through record of human experiences
3. Study of mans actions in the past
4. Study of events that had happened or one still
happening
DEFINITION OF HISTORY
History is the study of the past activities of man.
H.A Clement has stated it briefly as an
account or record of the past. Both
historians and other scholars have
attempted to define history in various ways. But all the attempts have pointed to the same that history is the study of the man’s past.
The study of
history is increasing in scope and time. Today, history does not
concern itself with the study of man’s past activities only but also his present activities. The reason is
that, the past is in communication with the present and the present shades
light in the past - it marrows the past.
E.H Carr, in
his lectures defined history as “an
unending dialogue between the present
and the past”
Raphael, HOD, H.I.R EBSU Abakaliki, according
to Mr Nze “ This in effect means
that there is a continuous and unbroken
process interaction between the
historians and their past.
History regards the present as a product of the past . marc block, sees history as an enquiry about the past of
man’s actions in time Prof. Bury, in the closing word of
his lectures in 1903, describe ‘history as a science no more
no less.
Prof F.G Colling Wood said that history is a kind of
research or enquiry about actions of human being that have done in the past.
According to him, in order or embark on his enquiry, and to arrive at his
historical truth the historian has to re-in-act or re-think the past in his
mind.
Prof. E.J Alagoa defines history as the study of man through the evidence of
his past actions. That is through relics
and achievements
Prof. A E Afigbo, regard history as “snap short of the
past usually taken from as many vantage point.
We
can conclude that identification of history varies as the individual vary. In other
words, history vary with the historian. But there are certain areas of common
interest to all historians
From the definitions given so far, we cannot run away
from the conclusion that history
deals with actions of human being in the past. It is the focus of
historical inquiry. But the historians is not only in the past as it was. He
seeks to establish how this past is related to the present and it can serve as
a guide to understanding the future.
DIVISION OF HISTORY
About 1851 as a
matter of fact, up to the 18th century, the division of
history was limited to ancient history,
medieval history and modern history.
However, in the mid of 19th century a forth division was added to human
past, and from then we had been thinking of history in its undest sense, that
is human history as now divided into
pre-history, ancient history, medieval history
and modern history
PRE- HISTORY
Pre – history is
the earliest part of history dating from 5,000 be up words. The first man to use the word pre-history was
Daniel Wilson in 1851. Pre-history means pre-written history that is history
that was not written down.
1. Oral traditional is an example of pre-history. Another
source of pre-history is through archeology i.e the artifact that the
archeologist excavated. For instance,
potsherd, human bones, irons etc.
PERIODAZATION IN HISTORY
a. pre-history- 5,000BC to earliest
b. Ancient History -
4,000BC to 476AD
c. Mediaval time-
476AD-1492AD
d. Modern History -
492AD to present date
e. Note below: the period about 400AD to one 1,000AD is
regarded in the history as the Dark Ages.
While the period of about 1,000 years between Ancient history and modern
history is known as the medieval period or time
RECKONING OF TIME IN HISTORY
Carbon 14 and potassium orgun detro chronology, and pronology etc but,
these things are not sufficient to make
history a science. The type of
scientific method advocated by Colling-
Wood is philosophical science which
Buklahdum recommended.