History

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This article is about the academic discipline. For a general history of human be
ings, see History of the world. For other uses, see History (disambiguation).
Historia
by Nikolaos Gysis (1892)
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.[1]
George Santayana
History (from Greek ?st???a, historia, meaning "inquiry, knowledge acquired by i
nvestigation")[2] is the study of the past, particularly how it relates to human
s.[3][4] It is an umbrella term that relates to past events as well as the memor
y, discovery, collection, organization, presentation, and interpretation of info
rmation about these events. Scholars who write about history are called historia
ns. Events occurring prior to written record are considered prehistory.
History can also refer to the academic discipline which uses a narrative to exam
ine and analyse a sequence of past events, and objectively determine the pattern
s of cause and effect that determine them.[5][6] Historians sometimes debate the
nature of history and its usefulness by discussing the study of the discipline
as an end in itself and as a way of providing "perspective" on the problems of t
he present.[5][7][8][9]
Stories common to a particular culture, but not supported by external sources (s
uch as the tales surrounding King Arthur) are usually classified as cultural her
itage or legends, because they do not support the "disinterested investigation"
required of the discipline of history.[10][11] Herodotus, a 5th-century BC Greek
historian is considered within the Western tradition to be the "father of histo
ry", and, along with his contemporary Thucydides, helped form the foundations fo
r the modern study of human history. Their work continues to be read today and t
he divide between the culture-focused Herodotus and the military-focused Thucydi
des remains a point of contention or approach in modern historical writing. In t
he Eastern tradition, a state chronicle the Spring and Autumn Annals was known t
o be compiled from as early as 722 BC although only 2nd century BC texts survive
d.
Ancient influences have helped spawn variant interpretations of the nature of hi
story which have evolved over the centuries and continue to change today. The mo
dern study of history is wide-ranging, and includes the study of specific region
s and the study of certain topical or thematical elements of historical investig
ation. Often history is taught as part of primary and secondary education, and t
he academic study of history is a major discipline in University studies.
Contents [hide]
1 Etymology
2 Description
3 History and prehistory
4 Historiography
5 Philosophy of history
6 Historical methods
7 Marxian theory of history
7.1 Stages of history
8 Areas of study
8.1 Periods
8.1.1 Prehistoric periodisation
8.1.2 Stages of history
8.1.2.1 Primitive communism
8.1.2.2 Slave society
8.1.2.3 Feudalism

8.1.2.4 Capitalism