The Laws of Manu

"Primary document" is a term used to refer to documents created during the time period of the past events or trends being studied. For instance, if you are studying ancient Rome during the life of Augustus Ceasar (63 bce-14 ce), then primary documents from that time would include letters, laws, records, buildings, artifacts and art. Even the writings of an historian can become a primary document. For instance, the Roman historian Suetonius recorded a history of the first emperors, including Augustus. Since he wrote it long after Augustus' life, it would NOT be a primary document on Augustus, but it would be a primary document of Suetonius' own time period (69-122 ce) because his writings reveal the attitudes of later Romans toward their history, society and values.

When you read assigned primary documents, you need to consider questions such as the following:

Who composed the document?

In what historical context was the document written?

What are the most significant points made in the document?

For what purpose did the author compose the document? Who was the intended audience? Who likely had access to the document and how was it disseminated?

Why is the document historically significant? What was the document's impact on contemporary events? Or, does the document give evidence of a common trend or belief? Even if unintended, does the document reveal contemporary trends in political, economic, religious, cultural or artistic thought?

Is there evidence of bias? Was the author sponsored by persons or an institution that might have influenced the content of the document? Keep in mind that bias may be very pronounced, such as in a straightforward statement of opinion, or quite subtle. For example, bias can play a role in what facts and ideas an author might choose to leave out of a document.

Some of these questions may not be relevant to some documents. Other questions not listed here might be important to consider in some cases.

Be sure to make specific references to elements within the text of the primary source that you are analyzing as well as addressing the overall message of the document and the context of the author.