THE ROLE OF HISTORICAL SOURCES IN RECONSTRUCTING THE PAST: METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES AND CONTEMPORARY CHALLENGES
Keywords:
historical sources, historiography, source criticism, historical methodology, archaeology, oral history, digital humanities, historical interpretation.Abstract
Historical sources are fundamental to the study of the past, providing evidence for understanding political, economic, social, and cultural developments. This paper examines the major categories of historical sources and the methodological principles used to evaluate their reliability and interpret their meaning. It considers written records, archaeological materials, oral histories, visual evidence, and digital collections, emphasizing the importance of provenance, contextual analysis, corroboration, and critical interpretation. The paper argues that combining different types of evidence can produce a more balanced reconstruction of historical processes while also revealing the limitations and uncertainties inherent in historical research.
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