How and why we divide History?
Summary
TLDRIn this educational video, Ernesto Rodgar explores the complexities of historical periodization, emphasizing that history's divisions are not absolute but serve as useful tools for study and teaching. He discusses the Late Modern Times, starting from the French Revolution in 1789, and traces back through the Early Modern Times, marked by the fall of Constantinople in 1453. Rodgar highlights the Renaissance as a transitional period between the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Times, noting its dual nature. He also touches on the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 and the beginning of prehistory, illustrating how these historical markers are more about convenience than clear-cut changes, and encourages viewers not to let categorization limit their understanding of history's fluidity.
Takeaways
- 😀 The video discusses the complexity of dividing history, emphasizing that there is no single way to do it and that historical periods are not as distinct as they may seem.
- 📚 Ernesto Rodgar explains that dividing history is a useful tool for historians and educators to study and teach, despite not perfectly reflecting the gradual nature of historical change.
- 🏛 The Late Modern Times, which we are currently in, is marked by significant events like the French Revolution in 1789, but its impact varied across different regions.
- 🌍 The start of the Early Modern Times is often associated with the fall of Constantinople in 1453, symbolizing the end of the Roman Empire and the beginning of a new era in Europe.
- 🎭 The Renaissance is a transitional period that bridges the Middle Ages and the Early Modern Times, making it challenging to categorize due to its mix of medieval and modern characteristics.
- 🌐 The Middle Ages are often misunderstood due to limited historical records and the influence of Renaissance thinkers, who saw it as a period of decline between the Ancient Era and their own time.
- 🏰 The fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 AD is considered a symbolic end, but the Eastern Roman Empire continued, showing the complexity of defining historical periods.
- 🗺 The division between Prehistory and the Ancient Era is not clear-cut, with some evidence of writing appearing in Mesopotamia around 3200-3400 BC, while European settlements from 1000 BC are still considered prehistoric.
- 🔍 The script highlights the importance of understanding that historical periods are not rigid boundaries but rather tools to help us organize and comprehend the past.
- 📈 The video concludes by encouraging viewers to see historical divisions as aids to understanding, rather than strict definitions that limit our perception of history.
Q & A
Why is dividing history into eras considered useful for historians and educators?
-Dividing history into eras is useful for historians and educators because it allows for easier study and teaching by breaking down the vast and complex timeline of human history into manageable segments with similar characteristics.
What is the significance of the French Revolution in the context of historical eras?
-The French Revolution is traditionally considered the beginning of the late modern times, marking a significant shift in society and politics. However, its impact varied across different regions, and it is acknowledged more as a symbolic event rather than a universally transformative one.
How does the fall of Constantinople in 1453 relate to the early modern times?
-The fall of Constantinople in 1453 is often cited as the end of the middle ages and the beginning of the early modern times. It symbolizes a shift in European consciousness and coincides with the Renaissance, which was a transitional period between the middle ages and the early modern era.
What is the Renaissance, and why is it considered a transitional period?
-The Renaissance is a period characterized by a revival of learning and cultural development, occurring between the middle ages and the early modern times. It is considered transitional because it bridges the gap between medieval and modern societies, featuring elements of both.
Why does the script mention the arrival of European caravans in the Americas as a potential starting point for the early modern times?
-The arrival of European caravans in the Americas in 1492 is mentioned as it signifies the beginning of significant global interactions and changes in European society, although it did not immediately transform every aspect of life across the continent.
What is the significance of the fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD in historical categorization?
-The fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD is often seen as the end of the ancient era and the beginning of the middle ages. However, the transition was not abrupt, and the concept of Roman civilization continued to evolve with the Eastern Roman Empire.
How does the script describe the middle ages in terms of historical perception?
-The script suggests that the middle ages have a somewhat negative reputation due to the limited information and perceptions of historians during the Renaissance, who did not have a comprehensive understanding of the period.
What is prehistory, and how does it differ from other historical eras?
-Prehistory refers to the time before written records, relying on archaeological evidence for understanding. It differs from other eras as it lacks written sources, requiring a different set of methods for interpretation.
Why is the invention of writing considered a pivotal point in the transition from prehistory to history?
-The invention of writing is pivotal because it marks the shift from relying solely on physical artifacts for historical understanding to having written records that provide direct information about past societies and events.
How does the script suggest we should view the divisions between historical eras?
-The script suggests that while divisions between historical eras help us organize and understand history, we should not let these categories rigidly define our perception of history, as transitions between eras are often gradual and interconnected.
Outlines
📚 Introduction to Historical Divisions
Ernesto Rodgar introduces the complex topic of how and why history is divided. He explains that there isn't a single way to divide history and that events used as era markers are more indicative than definitive. History is progressive, and even revolutions take time. The division of history is beneficial for study and teaching, allowing for a structured approach to understanding the past. Rodgar emphasizes that the Late Modern Times, marked by the French Revolution in 1789, is not universally applicable as a starting point due to its varied impact on different societies. He also notes that the Industrial Revolution, which spanned several centuries, played a significant role in societal change, more so than the French Revolution itself.
🏰 The Middle Ages and the Fall of the Roman Empire
The script discusses the categorization of history, including the Middle Ages, which has a negative reputation due to the limited information available during the Renaissance. The fall of the Roman Empire in 476 AD is highlighted as a symbolic event, with the last Western Roman Emperor, Romulus Augustus, being deposed by Odoacer. However, the empire's decline was gradual, with Germanic and Christian influences already deeply intertwined with Roman culture. The Eastern Roman Empire continued to exist, indicating a more complex transition than a simple end. The script also touches on the blurry line between the ancient era and prehistory, with early writing systems from Mesopotamia dating back to around 3200-3400 BC.
🌟 The Fluidity of Historical Eras
In the final paragraph, Rodgar emphasizes that the divisions of history are tools to help us understand and teach historical events. He likens these divisions to TV show seasons, suggesting that they are not rigid barriers but rather connectors that help us organize the narrative of history. The French Revolution, for example, is seen as a significant event but not as a gate that completely separates two distinct historical ideas. Instead, it serves as a bridge between eras. Rodgar concludes by reminding viewers that while categorization is useful, it should not limit our understanding of history's fluidity and interconnectedness.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Division of History
💡Eras
💡French Revolution
💡Industrial Revolution
💡Renaissance
💡Constantinople
💡Middle Ages
💡Prehistory
💡Historical Categorization
💡Roman Empire
Highlights
History is divided into eras for easier study and teaching, but these divisions are not always clear-cut.
The Middle Ages are often misunderstood due to the way they were categorized by Renaissance thinkers.
The French Revolution in 1789 is traditionally seen as the start of the Late Modern Times, but its impact varied across different regions.
The Industrial Revolution, spanning several centuries, is not a single event but a series of inventions.
The fall of Constantinople in 1453 marks the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Early Modern Times.
The Renaissance is a transitional period that doesn't fit neatly into a single historical category.
The arrival of European caravals in the Americas in 1492 is another marker for the start of the Early Modern Times.
The fall of the Roman Empire in 476 is symbolic, as Roman civilization continued in the Eastern Roman Empire.
The concept of Roman civilization had already been influenced by Germanic and Christian elements before 476.
The division of history into eras is a tool for organization, not a definitive separation of ideas.
Prehistory is defined by the absence of written sources, making it a separate category of study.
The invention of writing is not precisely known, but some of the earliest examples come from Mesopotamia around 3200-3400 BC.
The transition between Prehistory and Ancient Times is not clear-cut, with some periods overlapping.
Historical categorizations are useful for understanding and teaching, but they should not limit our perception of history.
The video encourages viewers to like, share, and subscribe for more content on historical topics.
Transcripts
What! The Middle Ages start today? But i haven't fixed my hair!
Hello, hello! I'm Ernesto Rodgar. Welcome back to my channel. For this week I bring to you a very
complicated topic: how and why we divide history. This topic is so tricky because there isn't
one way to divide history. Also even though we use specific events as the limits for the eras
the actual succession of events doesn't work like that. Like the lines on a map which really aren't
there these events are simply indicators. History is slow and progressive and even revolutions take
time still we divide history because it's easier for us historians to study it that way and at the
same time it's easier to teach it in school when we divide it into temperatures that have similar
length and rhythm is it when you do a group project at school you do this part you do this
part i do this part and then we bring everything together and the end result is a perfect and
cohesive presentation right that never happened history in university works kind of like that
you have professionals and experts in each era and each topic teaching you everything that they know
and then you have to put everything together and hope that it makes sense since things get
really complicated the further bad would go into history let's begin with the most current era and
go backwards but before we do that please remember to like and share the video to support the channel
and also don't forget to subscribe and hit the bell icon to receive a notification every time i
upload a new video with that being said the first thing we have to see is how we categorize history
we have pre-history the ancient era the middle ages the early modern times and the late modern
times where we currently are the late modern times hasn't ended yet the world keeps on spinning and
the traditional date for it's beginning in 1789 with the start of the french revolution of course
in france this event marked a before and after and the same could be said for some countries but
certainly not for all for example in england which is right next to france society barely changed
furthermore a few years after the revolution france went back to have a king on the throne
it is true that there were some big changes in society between the 18th century and the 19th
century but that has less to do with the french revolution and more with the industrial revolution
the thing is then the industrial revolution isn't one event but rather the inventions
of new machines that happen across several centuries so we take 1789 as a year when something
significant happened even though each event can be considered significant in its own way so this
would mark the end of the early modern times its start date is usually set in 1453 with the
fall of constantinople by the ottoman turks which changed the phase and the minds of europe but the
city of constantinople at this time was more of a symbol the last remaining point of what once was
the roman empire in reality by 1453 the turks already controlled most of well turkey and the
balkans and the scientists and philosophers that lived in the city had already escaped to italy or
other countries this date of 1453 coincides with the renaissance which sparked in europe after
those thinkers philosophers and scientists escaped from constantinople the thing is the renaissance
falls right between the middle ages and the early modern times it's part medieval and it's part
modern it's the transition moment which makes it even harder to study because it doesn't fit into
one single category it can be seen from a medieval point of view or from a modern point of view
you can study its art its culture its language its politics its economy so many things to see
another day that some historians use as the beginning of the early modern times is the
arrival of european caravals in the americas in october of 1492 but again this doesn't mean
that the entire european society changed from one day to the next a german shepherd for example had
the same problems on october 15 that he had on october 13th he didn't notice the beginning of
a new era but over time slowly things change the same can be said for next time stamp full of the
roman empire in 476 on that year odo acer deposed the last western roman emperor romulus augustus
putting an end to roman civilization in reality the idea of roman civilization was already mixed
with germanic and christian elements making it very different to what we classically see as
roman culture the empire was divided first into east and west and then the western half
was distributed between the germanic tribes emperor romulus had very little control of what
once was the roman empire oh and also he was 16 he was a puppet emperor the economy had been in ruins
for years the religion was different the army had nothing to do with what we saw on the other video
and what i think is the cherry on top the roman empire technically continued existing with the
eastern roman empire roman civilization left on for one thousand years although it was mixed with
greek and christian elements while the fall of the roman empire in 476 is seen as a symbol and
renaissance historians saw a parallel between this and what was happening in constantinople in 1453
and it's the renaissance thinkers who we have to blame for the first division of history they said
there's the ancient era with the romans the greeks and all that culture there's us
in our modern times with all our knowledge and then there's something in the middle between them
and us the middle ages back then they didn't have all the information so their perception of history
is not really accurate that's why the middle ages has such a bad reputation which is something we
are definitely going to see on a future video for now let's continue because we have one more era
to discuss prehistory prehistory is defined as that moment in time for which we don't have any
written sources thus we rely on archaeological evidence and all the information scientists can
get from that evidence because writing makes a whole difference take for example that we find
a flute on a medieval monastery right next to some scores with religious lyrics we can add two
plus two together and say that the flute was used for religious music when it comes to prehistory
archaeologists have found flutes from the caveman days but we don't really know its purpose
was it religious was it entertaining was it out of boredom was it for communication we don't know
so for that reason prehistory has its own methods and it's a little bit separated from the rest of
history now of course we can find instances of not knowing what really happened beyond prehistory
even if we have written sources this whole business raises another question when was
writing invented well the short answer is we don't know the long answer is that it varies
from territory and culture but still we don't know the except here some of the earliest examples are
uniform writing from mesopotamia which date back to the fourth millennium around three thousand two
hundred three thousand four hundred bc the limit between these two eras pre-history in the ancient
times it's blurry for the ancient era you can be studying mesopotamia or ancient egypt on the
year 4000 bc meanwhile for prehistory you can be studying european settlements from around 1000 bc
so you can see that they cross each other's lines not to mention that for the american continent
the whole system is completely different it's like when you're watching a tv show on netflix
and right when things are getting interesting and excited the episode ends or worse
the season ends now this doesn't mean that the plot ended or that the scene is over
it's just a device used to help us understand the sequence of events
the french revolution might be a season finale but we shouldn't see it as the gate that divides
two different ideas but rather as the thing that is connecting these two eras these two
seasons and perhaps season three and four have a similar vibe even though they're separated
into two seasons that's the way history works we have those seasons those eras to help us organize
the plot to help us organize the sequence of events and to allow us historians
teach all of these things to future generations or people currently on youtube we categorize history
to help us understand it but we shouldn't allow this categories define our understanding
of history thank you so much for watching this video see you next time bye bye ciao
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