Western Civilization and Primary Sources

A primary source which is also known as an original source in academic discipline consists of material artifacts, documented data dated back as early as from fifteen hundred AD back, manuscripts, reports, diaries, sound and video recordings, autobiographies and various sources that provided information during the time of study. In humanities, primary sources are material evidence that were created during the time of study or rather the time after study by individuals who focus and reflect on the proceedings of that particular time. In social sciences, these primary sources include geometrics that is numerical data which are collected and examined to study people’s behavior in relation to events and their ecological surroundings. In natural sciences, it includes report findings of ideas that are analyzed to create the research methods and provide results. In order to understand the whole idea of primary sources these is essential and necessary in defining the general context which when put into consideration then generating examples and ideas of primary sources is easy. Our argument in this essay will focus on various sources that were used back in 1500 AD to give us a clear and well elaborated an explanation that is detailed based on various pillars.

Dark ages was a term that was used once mistakenly applied to millennium era unravelling late ancient times from the Renaissance.

During the 1500AD century the manuscripts of ancient Greek, and that of Latin were conserved in monasteries and this was discovered therefore they were read and analyzed by scholars flagging the way for the rebirth and revolution of ideas, revolution of antiquity that blended with Christianity to give rise to a universal and unique type of civilization. After analyzing the various ideas scholars were aware that three centuries in the second quarter millennium were distant from the primitive, dark and intellectual regressiveness. Cathedrals in those centuries stood as monuments that were extremely complex and illuminated civilization regardless of the description “gothic” a weary term, corresponding to backwardness and uncivilized, by Voltaire. Robert Schuman, the founder of European union used to wit ”I never feel so European as when I enter a cathedral.” This declaration reveals and tosses light in the sense that back then on those centuries might have molded the unique identity and character of civilization in Modern Western Europe (Naomi Oreskes). The manuscripts give a clear description which is then analyzed to give out the findings that date back as from 1500 AD explaining the whole idea of western civilization in that cultural relapse, Brute assaults wrecked civilization. Such invasions outlined wrecked capitals, monasteries, collections, and institutes. It is Church that stood out and maintained a degree of order in a disintegrating and crumbling evolution or rather civilization. These churches new the need and the importance of preserving such institutes as these was where the primary sources were retrieved from and these sources were necessary in giving guidelines and the way forward for civilization.

Schools which were associated with the medieval churches which were known as cathedrals were also another place were manuscripts preserved. These schools in medieval were key in laying out the foundations of universities in places like Italy (Spielvogel).

Since cathedrals had made various contributions that were outstanding the fields like theology and philosophy it was also necessary to document these material artifacts such as the manuscripts and books that were necessary for western civilization.

            Material artifacts are also a key persuasive source that can be used to elaborated ideas on western civilization. These are materials that were preserved and date back to medieval and the ancient time when analyzed they clearly produce the procedure of how civilization and rebirth took place. In this essay we will feature less known artifacts but are correspondingly incredible and unbelievable from ancient time (Perry). The following are some examples of artifacts preserved back then in ancient times which when reviewed they give guidelines and rebuild of ideas on each scholar’s viewpoint.

Thor’s Hammer (c 900 AD, Denmark)

         Ubaid Lizard (c 5,000 BC, Iraq)

These are some of imaged material artifacts that when studied they generally drive to the point of western civilization. Reports back then reflected on scientific results that dwelt with western cultures, interpreting into revolutioned context that was necessary in western civilization. Looking at each source separately is essential in deriving how the whole process of western civilization came into place as each source gives a different report finding that enables regeneration of ideas.

In conclusion, the primary sources can be declared as objective components that define and describe the whole concept of civilization in the sense that in the period between medieval various scholars from different school of thoughts have come out to write about on each and every source in relation to how these sources provided information, how they were preserved and what were the importance of these sources generally.

 In our essay we have talked about some sources such as the manuscript, how and where they were preserved, giving example how they were preserved in schools and cathedrals and later, we see these documents take a key role in laying the foundation of structures and these, structures are among the components that gives rise to the whole concept of western civilization.

Works Cited

Naomi Oreskes, Erik M. Conway. The Collapse of Western Civilization: A View from the Future. New york: Columbia University Press, 2014.

Perry, Marvin. Western Civilization, A Brief History. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2015.

Spielvogel, Jackson J. Western Civilization: Volume II: Since 1500. Boston: Cengage Learning, 2014.