What the past learns from the present

The archaeological findings and the documentation of the real and general archives enable us to know in many cases, How did the first people inhabited the earth millions of years ago. This is how we have discovered, for example, that between 700,000 and 200,000 years ago Homo Heidelbergensis, one our predecessor, was the first to build hut positions of the heavenly stars.

This is how we discover that The Egyptians were worried about their dental health and washed their teeth away, Just like us, although with a dentifric -pasta very different from ours (based on eggs and hooves of ground ox, seasoned with ground pepper); That our way of measuring time comes from the sexual system used by the Sumerians, or that one of the first “newspapers” was the Roman act, where the news was written in stone instead of paper.

These are some of the curiosities that contain the new edition of the book ‘The Timeline’ (Maeva Young)Written and illustrated by Peter Goes, a large format volume that collects milestones of human evolution through the discoveries and inventions developed throughout the centuries. The use of stone to make spears in the Paleolithic, the development of trigonometry during the Caliphate of the Abasi, The invention of gunpowder in the ninth century, the installation of the first traffic lights in the XIX, of the purchasing cart in the 1930s Or the appearance of YouTube in 2005 are some of the events collected here, among many others.

They are all interesting data, but above all important to get an idea of ​​how People from the past have shaped us today And they have given us a lot of the tools that are essential today.

For example. Did I know that I could not have written this text, nor could you read it, if 3,300 a. C. de Sumerians had not developed the pictographic writing that preceded the current writing? If the British Tim Berners-Lee had not invented the World Wide Web in 1989, the possibility to read it from his computer or mobile would be unthinkable.

Learn with a critical mind

«History are not phases that close in a watertight way. Every historical period influences the following, and so on. That’s why, Without the perspective and understanding of the past, it is impossible to have a critical vision of the present, nor can it understand today», Says Pablo M. Orduna, professor in the modern history of the degree of Humanities of the International University of La Rioja (Unir).

«History can help explain contemporary phenomena. Where do tensions come from in the middle? Why are some things taboo in one country and not in the other? With the help of the past you can explain many contemporary facts in perspective, investigate or place many contemporary facts »Goes adds.

The problem is that there are some Obstacles in yesterday’s knowledge. The first that we were not there. «History is constantly rewriting. Professional historians try to reproduce the past as faithfully as possible to serve current and future generations, but Discipline evolves with new discoveries. If there is not enough information what we do is an interpretation or approach to what could happen. That is why there are 50 years since they are no longer valid because they did not know much of the things we know at the moment, ”explains Javier Ilundain Chamarro, Professor-Tutor of medieval history at National University of Distance Education (UNED) in Pamplona and La Rioja. Moreover, people are subjective images, the way people «Even the most scientific historian gives a personal vision to his analysis of the historical process»Emphasized Orduna. The other disadvantage is that history often has a wrong performance for partisan purposes.

So, so, Is it not possible to know the past objectively? “It is possible to get to know him honestly, thanks to the work of historians based on a methodology that is outside their political beliefs outside their political beliefs,” says Illundain. «The work of the professional historian gives a guarantee. I have colleagues who are in a political position against mine, but their studies are completely valid, although we do not agree in our latest reflection.

Another remarkable aspect is the way to teach it. Tradition shows us Memorization played a very relevant role in the study of history in educational centers. The desire of both historians is that it is evolving into a learning with a critical mind, because only in this way is ‘a true understanding of historical processes’.

“It is clear that there must be a memoristic part, such as in every discipline, because it gives you some earlier basis that is needed to realize an opinion, but the memorist knowledge itself contributes practically everything,” says Ilundain. In fact, this is a very current debate, because Text reactions are appreciated in the EBAU tests (old selectivity).

«This discussion tells us what kind of education in history we want to give. The text comment requires a reflection based on earlier knowledge obtained by memory, but which requires the critical spirit of the student. It is not to be assumed that it is about pure memoristic learning That, possibly, will forget the day after they are completed, the high school studies, “the teacher of the UND complains.

A more global knowledge

Moreover, the story is often written and studied from a unique perspective, especially the western or eastern ones. «For Europeans it is more logical to study Greece and Rome, which affects us directly because it is in the foundations of our civilization, Then China, India or Pre -Hispanic Civilizations. Studying everything is impossible, although more and more in line with the expansion of horizons and that students can have a more global historical vision, “says Ilundain.

The book by Peter Goes even contains information about times that little studying at school, such as the civilizations of the Indo Valley, Caral-Supe or the first Chinese dynasties. «When collecting the information for my books, I try to take other cultures into account, but It’s hard to take off those Western glasses. Also, things that seem less important at first sight, such as fashion or painting, can sometimes give a better picture of a period of our history. The more connections you can make with different disciplines and cultures, the better, “says the author.

One of the inconveniences to know the story worldwide is that information is not always available. «The Greeks and the Romans have left us a huge legacy of documentation. From Russia, however, we have practically everything until the 10th century, so it is very difficult to study them further than what archeology gives us, “says Illundain.