This wall painting found in the Roman city of Pompeii is an example of a primary source about people in Pompeii in Roman times. (Portrait of Paquius Proculo)
From a letter of Philip II, King of Spain, 16th century
A primary source is an original document or other material that has not been changed in any way. Usually it was produced by someone with direct personal knowledge of the events that are described. It is used as an original source of information about the topic. Primary sources are distinguished from secondary sources. Secondary sources are documents based on primary sources. Different fields have slightly different definitions of a primary source. In journalism, for example, a primary source can also be a person.
Related pages
- Historiography
- Secondary source
- Tertiary source
Primary source Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.
A primary source can be any type of work. Any piece of writing, image, film, sound recording, or human-made object can be a primary source.
Artifacts are human-made objects from the past. Artifacts are primary sources for archaeologists and historians. An artifact may be a building, a tool, a weapon, a piece of art, money, clothing, or music. Old birth certificates, maps, population figures, newspapers, photographs, journals, and letters also give original information about the past.
Primary sources for scientific study may include films and sound recordings of animals. A laboratory notebook that contains a record of a scientific discovery would be a primary source for anyone studying that discovery.