Mb 1 Notes Theme 1 Investigating The Past

MB 1 NOTES THEME 1 INVESTIGATING THE PAST

THEME 1: INVESTIGATING THE PAST 1. WHAT IS HISTORY? a) History is the story of people and past events in a sequence of

time. b) History is the study of how man and society changed from the past to the present. 2. WHY DO WE STUDY HISTORY? History helps: a) Us to understand the present and prepare us for the future. b) To explain our customs and beliefs c) To learn good examples from our predecessors (e.g forebears) 3. A HISTORIAN is person who uses historical evidence to write the story of

the past. 4. AN ARCHAEOLOGIST is a person who makes a study on the ruins and

remains of old civilizations to provide historical evidence to be used by the historians. 5. The remains of old civilizations include broken jars, coins, parts of wrecked ships

or houses or so on. 6. AN ARCHIVE is a place where the official written records of a country are

kept. 7. A MUSEUM is a place where objects of interest are kept and shown to the

public. 8. MEASURING THE PAST a) One of the ways to measure time is to use a calendar. 9. THE CALENDAR a) The Gregorian Calendar • This calendar uses the birth of Prophet Isa as a starting point. • The first year is known as AD 1 (AD stands for Anno Domini) • To Muslims, this calendar is called Masihi. 1

MB 1 NOTES THEME 1 INVESTIGATING THE PAST • •

The letters B.C (Before Christ) is used to count time before the birth of Prophet Isa. We count the centuries from the year Prophet Isa was born: A decade = 10 years A century = 100 years A millennium = 1000 years CENTURIES First Second Third Four Fifth Sixth Seventh Eighth Ninth Tenth Eleventh Twelfth Thirteenth Fourteenth Fifteenth Sixteenth Seventeenth Eighteenth Nineteenth Twentieth Twenty-first

YEARS 1 – 100 101 – 200 201 – 300 301 – 400 401 – 500 501 – 600 601 – 700 701 – 800 801 – 900 901 – 1000 1001 – 1100 1101 – 1200 1201 – 1300 1301 – 1400 1401 – 1500 1501 - 1600 1601 – 1700 1701 – 1800 1801 – 1900 1901 – 2000 2001 - 2100

b) The Muslim Calendar • Muslims date events from the Hijrah. • Hijrah is the journey made by Prophet Muhammad from the Holy City of Mekah to the Holy City of Medinah. • The first year of Hijrah (1 Hijrah) is in AD 622 (in Gregorian Calendar) 10. CHRONOLOGY is the arrangement of events according to the dates of times

at which they occurred. 11. TIME CHARTS or TIME LINES helps us to remember the events in history in

correct order of time.

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MB 1 NOTES THEME 1 INVESTIGATING THE PAST

12. THE DIVISONS AND PERIODS OF HISTORY We divide History in Pre-Historic Times and Historic Times. These times were called periods or ages. a) Pre-Historic Times • This was the time before people learnt to read and write. • It is divided into THREE AGES: i. The STONE Age ii. The BRONZE Age iii. The IRON Age • These THREE ages were divided according to the materials people used for their tools and weapons. b) Historic Times • It refers to the period after people learnt to read and write. • Historians divide the HISTORIC times into THREE periods. i. Ancient Times – From the end of Pre-Historic Times to the end of Roman Empire in 450 A.D ii. Middle Ages – From 450 A.D to 1500 A.D iii. Modern Times – From 1500 A.D onwards. 13. EVIDENCE is a sign or indication that something happened in the past. We use

historical evidence to study the history of the past.  TYPES OF EVIDENCE a) ARTEFACTS – weapons, tools, pottery, coins and others. b) FEATURES – ruins of old buildings, roads, bridges, tombstones and

temples. c) PICTORIAL EVIDENCE – pictures and photographs. d) WRITTEN EVIDENCE – letters, documents, journals, inscriptions (on

tombstones) and others. e) ORAL HISTORY – verbal information given by people who experienced a particular event. 14. YOUR FAMILY HISTORY can be passed down by your grandparents and

parents and other members of your family. 15. SOURCES OF HISTORICAL EVIDENCE OF ANCIENT BRUNEI a) The THREE types of evidence about Ancient Brunei were:

i. ii. iii.

Archaeological findings Historical sources of Brunei Written records 3

MB 1 NOTES THEME 1 INVESTIGATING THE PAST

b) ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDINGS i.

Remains at Kota Batu A 10th century Arab account describes Sribuza as a city with houses floating on rafts at the edge of a great bay. • Archaeological findings in Kota Batu matched this description. •

ii.

Evidence of Po-ni’s trade • Archaeologists found pottery and coins from China at a beach in

Muara.

• Another excavation of a 15th century burial ground in Lumut uncovered

ceramics from Siam and China.

c) HISTORICAL SOURCES OF BRUNEI i. Syair Awang Semaun : an epic with stories relating the founding of Brunei. ii. Salasilah Raja-Raja Brunei: a record of the Sultans of Brunei after Brunei accepted Islam. d) WRITTEN RECORDS i. Written records • Chinese and Arab archives • E.g. A Chinese report dated 977 A.D mentions a visit to China by three traders from Po-ni by the name of Abu Ali, Khadi Qasim and Shih Nu. ii.

From tombstones • Chinese tombstone found in a cemetery in Ranggas dated 1264. • Muslim tombstones dating back to 15th century with Arabic script found in Bandar Seri Begawan.

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