The science in the human sciences Historians us the scientific method in there aproach There are 5 steps 1) Ask a question 2) Form an hypothesis (a possible answer) 3) Collect evidence 4) Analyze clues and sort the clues 5) Makes a conclusion or starts over When attempting to rebuild the past Historians use many sources of evidence called documents There are 3 kinds of documents 1) Primary sources 2)Secondary sources 3) Reproductions Primary sources are documents made by the people you are studying Secondary sources are made after the historical times and talk about the history being studied Reproductions are copies of one of the previous types of documents There are 4 types of Documents 1) Material documents: items made by the society in question 2) Pictorial Documents: Pictures or paintings 3) Written Documents: anything that can be read 3 types: a) official (legal documents) b) Public (newspapers) c) Private ( s, letters) 4) Audio Visual Documents (movies and recordings) Archeology: studies material documents (artifacts) from ancient sites. Anthropology: studies how societies work Geography: studies how the natural environment affects people Economics: how goods and services were used in a society