Why Study Ancient History?
What is the point of studying ancient history? This article will help to clear up what it is exactly, and why
it is so important to keep it alive and continue learning about…
History is what has happened in the past. Ancient history, then, is
what has happened often before the capabilities of humans to make
written records. Within the articles of this topic, we will examine the
many people, places, and events that have led us to where we are
today, politically, philosophically, artistically, and scientifically. For
if we do not know from where we came, we have no map to take us
where we should go next. Ancient history is the story of humanity,
from roughly a millennium and half ago, and earlier (>500 AD).
Roughly, most scholars understand this as the early history of human
civilization, which arose variously around the world around 8-3
millennia BC, as people congregated to form settlements,
communities, and culture. The end of the "ancient world" is often
perceived around the first few centuries AD, with the fall of the
Western Roman Empire. Of course, "ancient history" is largely
dominated in western universities by the study of the classical past –
ancient Greece, Rome, and Egypt; but in truth ancient history is
really the study of all humanity, around the world (in China, India,
Southeast Asia, for instance) – many of which stories are yet to be
told. Thus, chronological boundaries are not hard and fast, and
definitions of the period of "ancient history" would vary from place to
place.
In order to study Ancient History, there needs to be a vast quantity of
reliable resources that we can examine. It would be very convenient
for scholars to have that bounty at their fingertips. However, only a
small part of ancient history was documented, and a great deal of
what was written down was lost or damaged during times of war or
natural disasters. That is why scholars of ancient history rely on the
efforts of Classical Archaeologists who unearth and piece together the
stories of civilizations from long ago. Studying it requires the close
scrutiny of the remains of human societies from this time –
archaeological sites, artifacts, monuments and words (ancient texts).
The evidence varies across different societies, and demands
specialist skill in language and interpretation. Since ancient history
covers all aspects of human society, albeit in the remote past, it
involves all the attendant disciplines in the study of humanity –
history, philosophy, science, literature, anthropology, to name a few.
Moreover, since is it set so far from the present time, one also deals
with the study of perceptions of ancient history in later periods –
medieval and early modern notions of ancient history, for instance, It
is a field rich in unexplored topics. The study of ancient history is
truly a treasure hunt.
Scholars also rely on first-hand accounts from sources that have survived the millennia to provide them
with intimate descriptions of life and society during the often-turbulent times. Many of the ancient minds,
such as Herodotus, Plato, Livy, Pausanius, and Tacitus have literally left road maps of the Classical World,
providing great insight for scholars trying to figure out how our society has come to the place that it has.
Ancient history in its university context is a discipline of the humanities; thus, understanding the ancient
world is actually a means to understanding human beings – our rise and growth. It may be a cliché to say
that history exists to educate the present, but it is true that the present exists because of our history.
For anyone remotely interested in understanding oneself, one's identity, and how society came to be, it
is crucial to know the history of humanity – the origins of which one finds in the ancient past. Of course,
this is a matter of preference for the aspiring undergraduate student, and ancient history may still just
seem little more than a hobby, and too far removed from the immediate. But for the few who are inclined
towards the humanities and study of culture, knowledge of ANTIQUITY is paramount.
The point of studying ancient history is to learn about our
foundations as a culture. Through active research one may
gain new and enlightening details about the emergence of
civilization – there are many amazing discoveries to be made,
for instance, for the Indus Valley civilization, or even, in such
well-trodded territory as Roman history, for how we
understand the origins of western civilization. Every detail –
even down to the census figures of papyri from Egypt –
contributes to our picture of ANTIQUITY. With a changing
picture of the ancient world, we come to understand
ourselves more clearly. Moreover, the data and information
one learns from the historical evidence is not static – every
pair of eyes would see the evidence slightly differently, from
different perspectives. Maybe one day someone will draw
interesting connections between the west and east from, for
instance, the Tarim mummies found in Central Asia, shaking
modern understandings of who we are and where we came
from. Every new discovery has the potential to affect a
paradigm shift in thinking. The innovations of the ancient
societies include so many things that we use and practice
today. Democracy, architecture, philosophy, building and
construction innovations, art, literature, city planning,
language, medicine, military configurations, and astronomy
are but a few of the areas where we see a direct influence
from the Greek and Roman worlds. Ancient history is a vital
topic to be learned and explored, not to mention highly
interesting!
Comprehension Questions:
1. Using the context of the article, what does the word “ANTIQUITY” mean?
2. According to the Article, describe 3 reasons for WHY it is important for us to study Ancient
History.
3. What period in time are we talking about when we refer to “Ancient” history?
4. Why are the challenges of studying “Ancient” History?
5. What do scholars and historians rely on when studying “Ancient” History?
6. HIGHER ORDER THINKING – What does the term “Western-centric” mean and how does it
apply to the study of Ancient History?