Who Own History Analysis

Who Owns History

Discussing Who Owns History

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John Walsh October 22, 2015 Anct. and Med. History Mr . LaJuan Foust Delbarton School

History has shaped the world today tremendously. So, who owns history? This question has two main factors that significantly decide the conclusion. The two factors are: 1) who owns the artifacts? (the tangible part), and who owns the historical narratives (the intangible part). These questions are very complex and many controversies arise in trying to solve the answers. Artifacts are a big factor of deciding who owns history. Many controversies

A frequent question asked about history is who owns the narratives? There are so many different versions and actions that currently exist for well-known accounts. An example of a narrative would be about Noah’s Ark. Many historians believe that Noah never existed and that the “ark” was not a traditional boat, but had an oval/circular shape. Do the people who write the narratives own them? An example would be saying that Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John own the Gospels. However, some historians could say that God is the owner of the Gospels since He inspired them to write down what He wanted. Lastly, who has the responsibility to make sure the accounts are passed down correctly and inerrant? Is it the historians or the teachers? The answer could be both. Historians learn about these narratives and then pass down what they learned to the teachers. The teachers then relay that information to students and families where they can talk about them orally and even write them down to preserve them. An example of a group of historians relaying information to the world is by the History Channel. The History Channel gathers different versions of texts from different historians and show the world their theories and which theory would make the most

Instead, they found that the boat was circular/oval in shape. The same vagueness revolves around the Persian Empire; how do we know that the Immortals(an elite group of the Persian Empire)really existed or if their nation was so strong that it could conquer any enemy? Record keepers and writers of that time period easily could have exaggerated anything that happened. But some parts of history we know had to happen. There is no proof that Confucius ever existed and even some historians agree with that theory. However, there is proof that the Ancient Qin Dynasty did burn records and papers from past dynasties.

Faith, art, and philosophy can play an important role in the making of history. Same as above? Do they belong to the religion who founded/created them? Do they belong to everyone? I believe that the religion that founded the artifacts should claim ownership. As we know, ISIS, which is a religion of extremist jihadists, are destroying ancient artifacts and sites such as the Iraq Mosul Museum. No religious group, nor does anyone, have the right to destroy artifacts or ancient sites that are part of someone’s religion. As an overview, the ancient civilizations who prospered own history since they are the main source for events in the past. A smaller factor of who owns history is historians. Historians can make predictions based on their religious beliefs, and they can also