To document history requires documentation; you can't write about records you don't have. Learn about the world's earliest record-keeping systems, usually credited to the Sumerians or the Egyptians. Compare their early forms of writing—cuneiform and hieroglyphics—then discuss: would there be any advantages to living in a world where no one keeps written track of anything?

• Writing originated in Mesopotamia for record keeping purposes around 3200 BC. Clay tokens representing goods and crops evolved into clay tablets inscribed with cuneiform wedge-shaped symbols representing words and sounds. Cuneiform was used to record numerical values, trade transactions, temple activities and astronomy. Over time, cuneiform developed into a full written language through its association with sounds.

  The three phases of cuneiform:

  • Clay tokens: held numerical value and was used for accounting and receipts
  • Two-dimensional pictographs: transferred from three-dimensional clay tokens to two-dimensional symbols on flat surfaces
  • Symbols representing sounds: soon, these symbols began to match with the spoken language

• Would there be any advantages to living in a world where no one keeps written track of anything? I think living in a world without written records would make things a lot more chaotic and difficult to keep track of. It might be cool for some to rely on oral storytelling, but we would lose a lot of valuable information and history without records.

What came first, history or historians? You might consult Herodotus, a fifth century BC Greek scholar who many scholars call "the world's first historian". His rival Thucydides insisted that he had exaggerated details for dramatic effect, making him instead "the world's first liar". What is the difference between record-keeping and history-writing? How much fiction—or unverified information—can a work of history contain before it is no longer a work of history?

• Herodotus was a Greek historian who is ofjust referred to as the "Father of History." He wrote a detailed account of the Greco-Persian Wars and is known for his methodological approach to recording events and facts. He lived in the 5th century BC and his works are still studied and referenced today. His most famous work is called "The Histories," which is a detailed account of the Greco-Persian Wars, but he also wrote other works such as "The Persian Wars" and "The Life of Homer." Thucydides was also a Greek historian, known for his writing on the Peloponnesian War. He took a more analytical approach to writing history, focusing on cause and effect rather than storytelling, which was a new concept at the time. Herodotus focused on re-creating an atmosphere of the far distant past. Thucydides focuses on a succession of events that are occurring as he writes; he is a contemporary of the action. (x)
• What is the difference between record-keeping and history-writing? Record-keeping is the systematic and organized recording of events and information, while history writing involves interpreting and analyzing those records to create a narrative of the past. Record-keeping provides the raw data, while history writing gives meaning and context to that data. This information then serves as the basis for history writing, where the historian must analyze and interpret the records to create a meaningful and accurate narrative of the past. Record-keeping is the foundation of history writing, as without accurate and reliable records, both are important in preserving and understanding our history.

Historically, many societies have relied on oral traditions to pass on knowledge. Explore the following terms, then discuss with your team: how would an oral history of our own era differ from a written one?

legends | myths | folktales | memorates

legends - Traditional story or group of stories told about a particular person or place. Formerly the term legend meant a tale about a saint. Legends resemble folktales in content; they may include supernatural beings, elements of mythology, or explanations of natural phenomena, but they are associated with a particular locality or person and are told as a matter of history. A well-known example of a legend is Atlantis & Fountain of Youth. those two are the ones im more familiar with, search some more!

myths - A symbolic narrative, usually of unknown origin and at least partly traditional, that ostensibly relates actual events and that is especially associated with religious belief. It is distinguished from symbolic behaviour (cult, ritual) and symbolic places or objects (temples, icons). Myths are specific accounts of gods or superhuman beings involved in extraordinary events or circumstances in a time that is unspecified but which is understood as existing apart from ordinary human experience.

folktales - A folktale is a traditional story or legend that is passed down verbally from generation to generation within a culture. These stories of just teach a moral lesson or explain natural phenomena. Some famous examples of folktales include "Cinderella," "Little Red Riding Hood," and "Anansi and the Turtle." Each of these stories has been adapted and told in various cultures with different details, but the core of the tale remains the same.

memorates - Aa type of folktale that is based on a personal experience or event, of relating to supernatural occurrences or encounters. These tales are told as first-hand accounts and are passed down through oral tradition.

oral history | collective memory | people's history

oral history - Oral history is the collection and study of historical information through personal narratives and firsthand accounts, rather than through write just records. This can provide important insights and perspectives from individuals who may have experienced events that are not recorded in official sources.

collective memory - Collective memory refers to the memories that individuals have as members of the groups to which they belong, whether small (family, school) or large (political party, nation). Membership in some groups can form a strong part of a person's individual identity. Collective memory is history as people remember it; it is not formal history, because the "memories" of a group are often contradicted by historical fact.

people's history - A people's history, or history from below, is a type of historical narrative which attempts to account for historical events from the perspective of common people rather than leaders. There is an emphasis on disenfranchised, the oppressed, the poor, the nonconformists, and otherwise marginal groups. Individuals not included in the past in other type of writing about history are part of history-from-below theory's primary focus, which includes the disenfranchised, the oppressed, the poor, the nonconformists, the subaltern and the otherwise forgotten people.