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Question: Is it possible that some history has been falsified!?
I was just reading some history and apparently the only reason we are aware of this certain piece of history is because one man wrote about it!.

A thought crossed my mind, what if the man altered what really happened and falsified history, and how possible is it that a lot of the history we know of has been falsified because of bias, pride, manipulation or for whatever reason!?

How can we know what we are reading is really true!? And how likely is it that at least some of the history that we know of could be false!?

Thank you!.Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
History isn't just one man's opinion, in many cases it's a variety of primary and secondary sources!.

A primary source is a written document from that time period, an eye-witness account, paintings, pictures, chronicles, journals, diaries, real video footage, interviews or surveys and archaeological finds!.

Secondary sources are modern-day websites, books, encyclopedias and opinions from people who did not experience the event!.

The common ideology that history is written by "the victor" applies in some situations, but relatively little in others!. There is always a flip-side documentation!. For example the Romans believed that Gaul were a barbaric, savage tribe of Western Europe!. But what did Gaul think of themselves as!? We look into their culture, customs and beliefs to find out what they thought of being Gallic!.

Professors such as myself, along with anthropologists and archaeologists analyze the probability of historical evidence being correct, from the amount of sources we retrieve and whether they are biased or not!. We make sure that the other side of the story is obtained!. All of the history that you read today is compiled of countless primary and secondary sources to prove that it really did take place or effect!.

In cases of civilizations that weren't urbanized and had very little technology such as the Aztecs, it is hard to find an unbiased source from them, as much of it was written by Spanish scribes!. Experts delve deeper into the mystery though, observing ancient inscriptions, temples and Aztec lifestyle to get a general idea of what they were like as people and what their point of view may have been on the conflict with the Conqusitadors!.

Some of our history is one-sided, favouring a particular group, but as I previously noted we do everything possible to look at other aspects!. So, no our history has not been falsified, the extensive study that historians have exterted into projects show solid consistency and accuracy among sources!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It's been said that history is written by the victors - meaning, everyone doesn't have the same view about events that happened!. If you talked to the people who won the Battle of Bunker Hill, they would give you one version, but if you talked to the people who lost, you would get quite a different version!. Most times it isn't done deliberately - just a different perception, but that's why it's so important to have more than one source - to have as many sources as possible, in fact - before attempting to evaluate history!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

It's more than possible!. Its a well known fact!. Histories are often written by the victors of conflicts while the losers side is often suppressed!.The winners often depict themselves as heroes avenging some great wrong!. There is quite a bit of American history that is falsified!. Have you ever wondered why 'saint' Abraham Lincoln is so deified while the leaders of the South during the American Civil War are vilified!? How much of the Southern perspective of the war and its causes have you heard!? Did you know that no Southern histories of the War could be written or published during the period known as 'Reconstruction'!? Thats because as early as that time the history of the war was being rewritten and revised!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

For example, everything that happened in the americas with the conquistadors was not totally reliable, most of the history was bias and tainted!. The real abuse was never described!. Most of the time the priests in the expeditions served as scribes, and their opinion was always bias and interested depending on the order they representedWww@QuestionHome@Com

You can't

2 great examples of this are the new testament of the bible, as well as the hadith!.

Both of these are famous religious texts, yet were compiled authors centuries after the fact, who had no direct ties to the events that may/may not have occurred!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It's said that history is written by the winners!. Everything you read is biased to some degree!. However, some of what's written can be verified by evidence, like actual artifacts from ancient civilization!.Www@QuestionHome@Com