INTRODUCTION TO HISTORY
HISTORY: It is the science that examines and analyses sequences of past
events, to determine their causes and consequences.
PRIMARY
SOURCES
SECUNDARY
SOURCES
They are
contemporaneous with the
facts
They are not contemporaneous with the facts
and they are the product of the study of
primary sources
SOURCES OF HISTORY: Sources are the elements that convey
information from the past; we study the sources to write history.
Depending on the proximity to
the events we are studying..
Let´s classify the sources…

PRIMARY
SOURCES
SECUNDARY
SOURCES
This axe is contemporaneous
with the facts or the period we
are studying. It is from
Prehistory.
This book is not contemporaneous with the
facts and it is the product of the study of
primary sources.
They are
contemporaneous with the
facts
They are not contemporaneous with the facts
and they come of the study of primary sources

A piece of the original Magna Carta signed by
King John in 1215
The Mona Lisa – Painted by Leonardo da Vinci
in 1506
A book about the Tudors written in 1999
PRIMARY
SOURCE
SECUNDARY
SOURCE
PRIMARY
SOURCE

A cartoon of Napoleon made in 1975
Roman Coins made by the Romans in AD45
A Poster of a Van Gogh Painting made in 1975
A mug made in 2018
SECUNDARY
SOURCE
SECUNDARY
SOURCE
PRIMARY
SOURCE
PRIMARY
SOURCE

ORAL SOURCES
WRITTEN
ICONOGRAPHICS
MATERIAL
These are interviews with witnesses who lived the period that we want to study.
It can be a literary work set in that moment, a treaty between two states, an inscription, a
newspaper ....
Refers to images: it can be a photograph, or a painting, or a sculpture.
clothing, toys, weapons ...
Depending on the format…

PONER FECHAS Y ORDENAR EL TIEMPO
10 YEARS: A DECADE
100 YEARS: A CENTURY
1.000 YEARS: A MILLENNIUM
CHRISTIAN
ERA
It is the period of time that begins with the birth of Christ (year 1). For all that
has happened before we refer to events before Christ (BC); and for what has
happened after we say Anno Domini (AD).
TO WHAT CENTURY BELONGS ONE YEAR?
YEAR 405 5TH CENTURY
We take the number of “Hundreds” we have and then we add 1.
296
1124
100
CAUTION!!
3RD CENTURY
12TH CENTURY
FIRST CENTURY

GLOSSARY
SOURCES OF HISTORY: Sources are the elements that convey
information from the past; we study the sources to write history.
COMMON ERA: It is the period of time that begins with the birth of
Christ (year 1)
DECADE: A decade is a period of ten years.
CENTURY: A century is a period of one hundred years.
MILLENNIUM: A millennium is a period of one thousand years.
HISTORY: It is the science that examines and analyses sequences of past
events, to determine their causes and consequences.

GLOSSARY
Ancient Age: It is the historical period that goes from the invention of writing, around
the year 3500 B.C. until the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the year 476 A.D.
Middle Ages : It is the historical period that goes from the fall of the Western Roman
Empire, in the year 476 A.D., until the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus
in 1492 or the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks in the year 1453.
Early Modern Age: It is the historical period that goes from the discovery of America
by Christopher Columbus in 1492 A.D. to the French Revolution in 1789 A.D.
Contemporary History : It is the historical period that goes from the French
Revolution in 1789 until nowadays.
Prehistory: It refers to the period since human beings appeared (three
million years ago); It finished when written texts appeared.

Exercise 2
Make a diagram in your notebook classifying the sources of History.
Sources of
history
Depending on……
Type of sources
___________________
___________________
(Depending on the
format)
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________

HUMAN TIME PERIODS TIMELINE
PREHISTORY ANCIENT AGE MIDDLE AGES
EARLY MODERN AGE
CONTEMPORARY
HISTORY
5 MILLION YEARS 3500 BC 476 AD. 1492 17891
First Human beings appear
First written texts
The Fall of the Roman Empire
Christopher Colombus
discovers America
French
Revolution

Exercise 3: In which century are we living? In which millennium?
We are in the 21st century because 21st century is from 2001 to 2100; and
in the 3rd Millennium because it is from 2001 to 3000.
Exercise 4: Write the roman numbers from 1 to 25.

Exercise 5: Complete and translate the following sentences
El siglo __II__ va del año 101 al 200. The Second century is from the year 101 to
200
El siglo IV va del año __301__ al __400__.
El siglo V va del año __401__ al __500__.
El siglo VIII va del año __701___ al _800__.
El siglo IX va del año __801__ al _900_.
El siglo XI va del año _1001__ al _1100__.
El siglo XIV va del año __1301__ al _1400___.
El siglo XVII va del año _1601___ al _1700___.
El siglo XIX va del año _1801___ al __1900__.
The fourth century is from the year 301
to 400

Exercise 6: To what century belongs these years?
235 BC 621 37 AD 1243 921 1000
3rd C.
BC
7th C. 1st C. 13th C. 10th C. 10th C.
Exercise 7- Write a year of the following centuries:
3rd century AD. 9th century BC 18th century 21st century
235 845
BC
1789
2017

MAKING A TIMELINE.
1- Make in your notebook a rectangle 20 cm long and 2cm wide (although that
is less important).
2- Let's temporarily delimit our timeline
This rectangle is going to be a timeline. we can place dates of important events as well as periods in it .
We write 1000 BC on the left end and 1000 AD on the right end.
A period is a space of time in which a concrete phenomenon occurs. It has a
start date and an end date. For example: the Paleolithic is the first period in
the history of Humanity; It started 5 million years ago and ended about
10,000 years ago.
The oldest events will be located on the left; the most recent events
will be located on the right.
Locate in the timeline three or four more dates (500 BC; 1AD; 500AD). They will
be our frame of reference.

1000 BC 1000 d.C.
1
500 BC. 500 d.C.
800 BC900 BC 400 BC700 BC 600 BC 200 BC300 BC 100 BC
Your timeline should be like this…

MAKING A TIMELINE.
3- Locate the following events in your timeline
753 BC: Founding of Rome
509 BC. End of the Roman Monarchy; republican period begins
323 BC: Alexander the Great died
29 BC.: Beginning of the Roman Empire
180 AD.:Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius died
380 AD: Christianismus: official religion of the Roman Empire
476 AD: The fall of the Roman Empire
622 AD Mohammed runaway from Mecca; starts of the Muslim calendar
800 AD.: Charlemagne crowned Emperor of the West

LET’S LOCATE SOME PERIODS ON THE TIME LINE.
753 BC – 509 BC.: Roman monarchy
509 BC- 29 BC: Roman republic
29 BC- 476 AD: Roman empire
The way to represent a period in the timeline is to delimit it with the start and
the end dates and to colour it to highlight or difference from the rest of periods.

1000 a.C. 1000 d.C.
1
500 a.C. 500 d.C.
753 BC
509 BC.
29 BC.
323 BC.
180 AD
380 AD.
476 AD.
622 AD.
800 AD.
Monarchy Republic Empire
800 a.C.900 a.C. 400 a.C.700 a.C.600 a.C. 200 a.C.300 a.C. 100 a.C.
Your timeline should be like this…
EndoftheRomanmonarchy
AlexandertheGreat
died
BeginningoftheRoman
Empire
FoundingofRome
RomanemperorMarcus
Aureliusdied
Christianismus:official
religionoftheRomanEmpire
ThefalloftheRoman
Empire
Charlemagnecrowned
EmperoroftheWest

Marking criteria
1- No subject (-0,025)
2- incorrect use of verbs (-0,025)
3- mistakes in translation (0,025)
4- Incorrect definition)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
No ordinal number (0,1)
No sentence (0,1)
Each gap without filling (0,1)
Each mistake (0,2)
No ordinal (0,05)
No BC (0,05)
No BC (0,05)
Each date wrong located
(0,3)
Each gap without
filling (0,15)