Reliable or NOT?

Questions to Consider Who wrote / created this? What is the author’s / creator’s perspective? When was it written / created? Where was it written / created? Why was it written / created? Is it reliable? Why or why not?

Reliable or NOT? RELIABLE Created by the people who used it long ago Used for the reason it was created: as tools Created and found in Africa THINK ABOUT: would you question the reliability of these primary sources if they had been found in someone’s basement in Baltimore? Caption: Stone tools point to creative work by early humans in Africa

Reliable or NOT? QUESTIONABLE Unknown who took the picture, where the picture was taken, or why it was taken We know that this is Louis Leakey and we know from secondary sources that he discovered fossils that look like this. Caption: Louis Leakey with four humanoid skull fossils.

UNRELIABLE for Learning About the First Thanksgiving Reliable or NOT? UNRELIABLE for Learning About the First Thanksgiving Created in 1932, years after the first Thanksgiving Picture seems to depict that Native Americans (sitting) need food from Pilgrims (standing and with all of the food) THINK ABOUT: What source would you try to find if you wanted a more reliable source about the First Thanksgiving? Source:  This painting by J.L.G Ferris, titled The First Thanksgiving 1621, was published in 1932.

MOSTLY UNRELIABLE for Learning About the First Humans YOU TRY Reliable or NOT? MOSTLY UNRELIABLE for Learning About the First Humans Created long after first humans lived Creator’s perspective is unknown, but he is not a historian. Painters may not care as much about historical accuracy as historians do. THINK ABOUT: Is this source better or worse than a picture of a tool (like in the earlier slide) for learning about early humans? Why? Source:  Painting by Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov, a Russian painter who lived from 1848 – 1926.

MOSTLY RELIABLE for Learning About the First Humans YOU TRY Reliable or NOT? MOSTLY RELIABLE for Learning About the First Humans Created by early humans during their own time period Creator’s to show animals and life of that time THINK ABOUT: What questions do you have about the Lascaux Cave based on this picture and caption? Caption:  Lascaux Cave is a Palaeolithic cave situated in southwestern France, near the village of Montignac in the Dordogne region, which houses some of the most famous examples of prehistoric cave paintings. Close to 600 paintings – mostly of animals - dot the interior walls of the cave in impressive compositions. The art is dated to c. 17,000 – c. 15,000 BCE