Artifacts as Primary Sources

Any physical item made by humans can be considered an artifact. In using artifacts as primary sources you've added the material culture domain to your research. This can be a very important complement to text-based primary sources, since artifacts are more concrete and tangible than texts. An artifact remains almost meaningless, however, without an understanding of its context. In other words, when working with artifacts, similar questions you asked when working with other types of primary sources, such as who was the author, did s/he have a particular viewpoint or objective, etc., need to be asked and answered. In addition to telling you something about its creator, an artifact provides insight into a culture: its customs, preferences, styles, special occasions, work, and play.

As an example of working with artifacts following is the theme of lovers expressed in different artifacts coming from different cultures and time periods. Questions that could be asked include: can we draw conclusions about notions of intimacy, sexuality and gender roles; how representative are these artifacts of their cultures; can cultural comparative analyses be made? For answers, as a first step, you should study the artifact by itself. Try to be as comprehensive as possible in describing what you see in front of you. As a second step, you examine the secondary studies other researchers have done and you test their interpretations against the views you have formed. In your final step you present your conclusions, which might favor one scholar's interpretation over that of another, or you advance your own interpretation based on the study of additional primary sources.

France, Paris, 14th Century
Mirror Case: Tristan and Isolde Playing Chess

Artist not recorded
Lovers (mithuna)

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Riza `Abbasi
Single Work

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Anonymous South German Master, 15th century
A Bridal Pair

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