Primary Source Evalaution and it's about Plutarch On Alexander.
Questions for Analyzing Primary Sources:
Use complete sentences and answer each question as thoroughly and thoughtfully as possible.
1. What is known about the the author and his or her background?
2. What is the title of the primary source? Is it original or has it been titled by posterity (later scholars, perhaps the editor of the textbook)? Do we know what it was called at the time it was first written?
3. What is the time and place of composition or creation of this primary source? What period of time does it include or cover?
4. What is the genre of this primary source? Define this genre carefully. What was the origional language of this primary source? How the genre (or language) shape or limit modern use or interpretation of this source?
5. Who was the original audience? (Who did the author intend or expect would read this primary source?) What was the worldview or perspective of this audience? Did this primary source make any assumptions about the worldviews or perspectives of this audience? How might this audience have influenced the creation or use of this primary source?
6. What was the original purpose or objective of this primary source? What does this source purport to be?
7. Why is this primary source important for or how might this source be useful to the study of this particular ancient or classical society? What specific trends or patterns can we understand through study of this document. Provide specific details or examples.
Primary Source Evaluation Options
Choose 4 of the following sources to evaluate.
The Code of Hammurabi
"Autobiography of Harkhuf"
"Instructions for Little Pepi on His Way to School"
"The Mandate of Heaven"
Analects OR Tao Te Ching
Ban Zhao Lessons for a Woman
Rig Veda
"Buddhism and Caste"
Plutarch "On Alexander"
"Correspondence of a Provincial Governor and the Emperor"
The other assignment is the Presentation and it's about Pliny Letters.
Presentation Questions:
1. Who is the author? What is known about the author and his, her, or their background?
2. When was this piece created? What years does it cover?
3. How was it created? (Was it written on papyrus, clay tablets, vellum manuscript, bamboo strips, silk? Preserved in a later copy?) Where is it now?
4. What is the genre of this primary source? How does this genre influence the way that we interpret this source or use it for historical evidence?
5. What was the original language of the primary source? How might the original language shape, limit, or merely affect modern interpretations of this source?
6. Where was this piece created? What were the relevant political, cultural, religious, philosophical, economic, and/or social contexts at that place at that time? How did this historical context influence or shape the way that the topic of this piece was conveyed?
7. What was the original purpose or objective of this primary source?
8. Who was the intended or expected original audience of this piece? What would have been the worldviews or perspectives of this audience and does this primary source reflect this worldview or make assumptions about what the audience would have understood?
9. How does this primary source connect to the other assigned readings or the historical topic of this class day?
10. Summarize the primary source in 3 or 4 sentences. Keep in mind that your classmates are not likely to have read this primary source.
11. What are the most salient (e.g., important and standing out) points of this particular piece for historians? Provide examples in your presentation.
This question encourages you to elaborate on the interest features of your particular primary source. You might consider the purpose, the author's perspective (bias), tone, the types of details or vocabulary, in greater depth. You might also want to consider counter-arguments- what other aspects of this primary source someone else might consider or what other angles of interpretation might be possible. Addressing this question should help you to develop a thesis statement for your Primary Source Presentation. Possible answers to this question might be phrased:
"This (insert primary source) allows historians to understand the economy in (time/place) because of (x, y, and z)."
"While the details about (x) are useful to a historian, this primary source is one of the few to provide insights about (a, b, and c)."