History (derived from Ancient Greek ἱστορία (historía) 'inquiry; knowledge acquired by

investigation')[1] is the systematic study and documentation of the human past.[2][3] History is
an academic discipline which uses a narrative to describe, examine, question, and analyse past
events, and investigate their patterns of cause and effect.[4][5] Historians debate which narrative
best explains an event, as well as the significance of different causes and effects. Historians
debate the nature of history as an end in itself, and its usefulness in giving perspective on the
problems of the present.[4][6][7][8]

The period of events before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory.
[9]
"History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well as the memory, discovery,
collection, organization, presentation, and interpretation of these events. Historians seek
knowledge of the past using historical sources such as written documents, oral accounts
or traditional oral histories, art and material artefacts, and ecological markers.[10]

Stories common to a particular culture, but not supported by external sources (such as the tales
surrounding King Arthur), are usually classified as cultural heritage or legends.[11][12] History
differs from myth in that it is supported by verifiable evidence. However, ancient cultural
influences have helped create variant interpretations of the nature of history, which have
evolved over the centuries and continue to change today. The modern study of history is wide-
ranging, and includes the study of specific regions and certain topical or thematic elements of
historical investigation. History is taught as a part of primary and secondary education, and the
academic study of history is a major discipline in universities.

Herodotus, a 5th-century BCE Greek historian, is often considered the "father of history", as one
of the first historians in the Western tradition,[13] though he has been criticized as the "father of
lies".[14][15] Along with his contemporary Thucydides, he helped form the foundations for the
modern study of past events and societies.[16] Their works continue to be read today, and the
gap between the culture-focused Herodotus and the military-focused Thucydides remains a
point of contention or approach in modern historical writing. In East Asia a state chronicle,
the Spring and Autumn Annals, was reputed to date from as early as 722 BCE, though only 2nd-
century BCE texts have survived. The title "father of history" has also been attributed, in their
respective societies, to Sima Qian, Ibn Khaldun, and Kenneth Dike.[17][18][19]
Definition

As an academic discipline, history is the study of the past.[20] It conceptualizes and describes
what happened by collecting and analysing evidence to construct narratives. These narratives
cover not only how events unfolded but also why they happened and in which contexts,
providing an explanation of relevant background conditions and causal mechanisms. History
further examines the meaning of historical events and the underlying human motives driving
them.[21]

In a slightly different sense, history refers to the past events themselves. In this sense, history is
what happened rather than the academic field studying what happened. When used as
a countable noun, a history is a representation of the past in the form of a history text. History
texts are cultural products involving active interpretation and reconstruction. The narratives
presented in them can change as historians discover new evidence or reinterpret already-known
sources. The nature of the past itself, by contrast, is static and unchangeable.[22] Some historians
focus on the interpretative and explanatory aspects to distinguish histories from chronicles,
arguing that chronicles only catalogue events in chronological order, whereas histories aim at a
comprehensive understanding of their causes, contexts, and consequences.[23][a]
Traditionally, history was primarily concerned with written documents. It focused on recorded
history since the invention of writing, leaving prehistory[b] to other fields, such as archaeology.
[26]
Today, history has a broader scope that includes prehistory, starting with the earliest human
origins several million years ago.[27][c]

It is controversial whether history is a social science or forms part of the humanities. Like social
scientists, historians formulate hypotheses, gather objective evidence, and present arguments
based on this evidence. At the same time, history aligns closely with the humanities because of
its reliance on subjective aspects associated with interpretation, storytelling, human experience,
and cultural heritage.[29] Some historians strongly support one or the other classification while
others characterize history as a hybrid discipline that does not belong to one category at the
exclusion of the other.[30] History contrasts with pseudohistory, which deviates from
historiographical standards by relying on disputed historical evidence, selectively ignoring
genuine evidence, or using other means to distort the historical record. Often motivated by
specific ideological agendas, pseudohistorians mimic historical methodology to promote
misleading narratives that lack rigorous analysis and scholarly consensus.[31]