UNIT ONE

Nature and Uses of History

The term history derived from the Greek word Istoria, meaning “inquiry” or “an account of
one’s inquiries.”
 In ordinary usage, history means all the things that have happened in the human past.
 Academically, history can be defined as an organized and systematic study of the past.
The study involves the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of
information about past events.
 Parts of events still awaits to be recorded and the accounts of the past provided by
historians that is also history
 History can abuse. Such abuses come mainly from deliberate manipulation of the past to fit
current political agenda. The past is described and interpreted to justify the present.
 Historians apply their expert to record and write history.
 Herodotus was the first Greek historian who wrote history. He was known as “the father
of history.”
 What actually happened in the past is almost infinite. In this regard, the major concern of history
is the study of human society and its interaction with the natural environment in the past.
Because of the longevity of the time, historians divided history into ancient, medieval
and modern history. This is what we call periodization in history, one of the key
characteristics of the discipline.
 All aspects of human life: social, cultural, economic, and political in the past have been
changing from time to time. Nevertheless, some things stay for long period. For example,
we continue to speak the languages of our ancestors; follow their beliefs and religious
practices.
Uses of history
History Helps Better Understand the Present
 It is difficult to understand problems that face humanity and society today without
tracing their origins in the past
History Provides a Sense of Identity
 It is only through sense of history that communities define their identity, orient
themselves, and understand their relationships with the past and with other societies.
History Provides the Basic Background for Other Disciplines
 Historical knowledge is extremely valuable in the pursuit of other disciplines
History Teaches Critical Skills
 Studying history helps students to develop key research skills. These include how to find and
evaluate sources
History Helps Develop Tolerance and Open-Mindedness
By studying the past, students of history acquire broad perspectives that give them the range and
flexibility required in many life situations.
History Supplies Endless Source of Fascination
Exploring the ways people in distant ages give excitement
Sources and Methods of Historical Study
Historians are not creative writers like novelists. Therefore, the work of historians must be
supported by evidences arising from sources. It is said that ̏where there is no sources, there is no
history.̋ Therefore, sources are key to the study and writing of history. Historical sources are
broadly classified into two types:
Primary source: - original materials
-First hand materials in their proximity to the event both in time and space
Example: manuscripts, diaries, letters, minutes, court records and administrative files, travel
documents, photographs, maps, video, and artifacts such as coins, fossils, weapons, utensils, and
buildings.
Secondary sources: - second hand published accounts about the past events.
-They are written long after the event has occurred.
- provide an interpretation what happened, why the event happened, and
how it happened, based on primary sources. Examples, articles, books, textbooks, biographies,
and published stories or movies about historical events.
Secondary materials give us what appear to be finished accounts of a certain historical periods
and phenomenon. But, no history work can be taken as final, as new sources keep coming to
light. New sources make possible new historical interpretation or entirely new historical
reconstruction.
Oral tradition: Information that transmit from one generation to another, through folk songs and
folk sayings.
Oral history: oral testimonies or personal recollections of lived experience.
Oral sources are especially valuable to study the history of non-literate societies
 Oral sources could be taken as both primary and secondary sources. Example, the
eye-witness information is a primary source while the recounted information is a
secondary source
However, whatever the source of information, primary or secondary, written or oral, the data
should be subjected to critical evaluation before it used as evidences.
 Primary sources have to be verified for their originality because sometimes primary
sources may be forged.
 Secondary sources have to be examined for the reliability of their reconstructions.
 Oral data may be losing its originality and authenticity due to distortion through time.
Therefore, it should be crosschecked with other sources. In short, historians must find
evidences about the past.
Historiography of Ethiopia and the Horn
Historiography- history of historical writing
-studying how knowledge of the past either recent or distant, is obtained &
transmitted.
 The organized study and narration of the past was introduced by ancient Greek historians:
Herodotus and Thucydides.
 China had also the tradition writing about the past
 Despite such early historiographical traditions, history emerged as an academic discipline
in the second half of the 19thc, first in Europe and subsequently in US.
 Modern historiography directly associated with the German historian Leopold Von
Ranke. He is considered as the “father of modern historiography.”
 The earliest known reference to write Ethiopian history and the horn are:
 Periplus of Erythrean Sea- Written by an anonymous author
 Christian Topography-Composed by Cosmas Indicopleustes, a Greek sailor in the 6thc.
-Describes Aksum’s trade and its kings
 The earliest written Ethiopian materials (manuscripts) also found in:
 Abba Girma monastery in Yeha
 Haiq Istifanos monastery in preset day Wollo
 The value of manuscripts is essentially religious. Yet, for historians, they have the benefit
of providing insights into the country’s past.
Hagiographies
 Originating from Ethiopian orthodox church
 Major sources for medieval history of Ethiopia
 Invariably written in Geez
 Describes prestige of saints
 Often discusses in detail the development of churches and the state
Muslim Hagiography –offers insight the life of Muslim saints. Example, Shaykh
Jafar Bukko of Gattria
 Ethiopia had also an indigenous tradition of history writing called chronicles. Chronicles:
 Written in Geez
 First appeared in the 14th c and continue up to early 20th c. Example:
 The chronicle of king Amde Tsion
 Abeto Iyasu and Empress Zewditu
Positive sides of chronicles
 Factual detail
 Strong chronological framework
Weak sides of chronicles
 Quantification problem
 Explain events in religious terms
 Little explanation about socio-economic developments
Chronicles can provide us
 The character and lives of kings
 Kings preoccupation (thinking)
 Kings’ relation with subordinate officials
 The evolution of the Ethiopian state and society
  Written accounts of Arabic-speaking visitors to the coast. Example, Al-Masudi & Ibn
Battuta describes: the culture, language, and import-export items of trade in East African
coast.
Documents composed by Yemeni writers
Futuh al Habesha
 Composed by Shihab ad-Din
 He recorded the conflict between the Christian kingdom and Muslim principalities
 He also recorded the war of Imam Ahmed Ibn Ibrahim Al-Ghazi
Abba Bahrey’s Geez scripts
 Written in 1593
 First hand information about the Oromo population movement including the Gadaa
system
Contributions of European missionaries and travelers: They describe:
 Religion and political developments
 The country’s foreign relations
Travel document- James Bruce’s Travel to Discover the Sources of the Nile
Missionary’s document- The Prester John of Indies, composed by Francesco Alvarez (portages
priest)
Foreign Ethiopian history writers
 Ludolf, German historian
 Founder of Ethiopian studies in Europe
 He wrote A New History of Ethiopia
 Ludolf wrote Ethiopian history based on information collected from an Ethiopian priest
named Abba Gorgoris. August Dill man also published two studies on ancient Ethiopian
history. Compared to Ludolf, Dillman demonstrated all markers of objectivity in his historical
research endeavors.
Traditional Ethiopian history writers: They deal with:
 Social justice
 Administrative reform
 Economic analysis to history. Example:
 Taye Gebre Mariam & Fisseha Giorgis-wrote the history of Ethiopia
 Asme Giorgis- wrote history of Oromo people
 Afework Gebreyesus-wrote the first Amharic novel, Tobiya
 Gebre hiwot Baykedagn-wrote Atse Menelikna Ityopia & Mengistna Yehizb Astedader
 Blatten Geta Hiruy Wolde Selassie- the most prolific writer. He wrote:
Ethiopiana Metemma
Wazema
Yehiwot Tark
Yeithiopia tarik
  In contrast to their predecessors, Gebre-Hiwot and Hiruy exhibited relative objectivity and
methodological sophistication in their works.
Unfortunately, the Italian occupation of Ethiopia interrupted Ethiopian history writing &
publication. After libration, Tekle Tsadik Mekuria formed a bridge between writers in pre-1935
& Ethiopian professional writers.
Another works were:
 Yilma Deressa- wrote a History of Ethiopia in the 16th c. The book describes:
 The Oromo population movement
 The war between the Christian kingdom and the Muslim sultanates
 Blatten Geta Mahteme Selassie Wolde Meskel-wrote Zikre Neger (describes prewar land
tenure system & taxation)
 Dejazmach Kebde Tesema-wrote Yetarik Mastawosha
 The year 1960 was crucial for the development of Ethiopian historiography. This was
because:
 History emerged as an academic discipline during this year
 Professional Ethiopian historiography began in 1963
Two factors for the beginning of Ethiopian professional historiography
 The opening of the department of history in 1963
 The opening of the Institute of Ethiopian Studies (IES) in 1963
 The professionalization of historiography in other parts of the horn is a post-colonial
phenomenon. Two factors for the development of professional historiography of Africa:
 Opening of school of Oriental & African Studies (SOAS) in London
 Opening of the Department of History at the University Wisconsin-Madison
Geographical Context
The term Ethiopia and the horn refer to the parts of Northeast Africa, which now contains
Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
Major physiographic Features of the Region
 Massive highland
 Complex mountain
 Plateaus divided by rift valley
 Lowlands
 Semi-deserts and deserts
People of the region
 Diverse across the region
 Profess many distinct religions
 Engages in a wide range of economic activities
Despite the varied physical environments discussed above, the countries of the Horn of Africa
are, for the most part, linguistically and ethnically linked together.
People of the region had contact in:
 Commerce
 Migration
  Wars
 Slavery
Impact of the region’s geography on the way people live
 The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden linked Northeast Africa to the Eastern Mediterranean, the near
and Middle East, India, and the Far East.
 The Indian Ocean has linked East Africa to the near and Middle East, India and the Far East.
Drainage systems had also profound impact on human history: Example, the Nile River,
Gibe/Omo–Gojeb, Genale/Jubba-Shebele, the Awash River, and the Ethiopian Rift Valley
Lake systems.
 Genale (known as the Jubba in Somalia) makes it to the Indian Ocean
 Shebele disappears in sand just inside the coastline.
The above watersheds are very important in the life and history of the peoples inhabiting the
region. Example:
 Facilitated the movement of peoples and goods across diverse environments
 Resulting in the exchange of ideas, technology, knowledge, cultural expressions, and
beliefs
 The Awash River System is entirely confined to Ethiopia and links the cool rich highlands of
Central Ethiopia with the hot, dry lowlands of the Danakil Depression.
 The Gibe /Omo–Gojeb River System links southern Ethiopia to the semi desert lowlands of
northern Kenya.

Group Work from 10%

Explain briefly how the writing of history has evolved over time: Submission Date,
February 15, 2016 E.C: Guide lines how to work your assignment: Page limit, from
one up to two pages only. Note that, do not copy directly from internet, rather you
have to sum up and write what you understand in your own words.