Primary Sources - HIS111/112 - World Civilizations - InfoGuides at Central Piedmont Community College

World

This section contains links to resources that feature a mix of primary sources from around the world.

The Avalon Project: Documents in Law, History, and Diplomacy
This resource contains ancient (4000 BCE - 399 CE) and Medieval documents (400 CE - 1399 CE) as well as documents from the 15th century to the 21st century.
World History Commons
Locate primary sources, including images, objects, media, and texts, using World History Commons. You can narrow your searches down by region, time period, subject, and type. It also includes annotations by scholars to contextualize sources.
World Digital Library
Materials in this collection include cultural and historical documents, such as books, manuscripts, and journals. They range from 1000 CE to the present. All items include narrative descriptions to contextualize the item and its cultural and historical importance.
Ancient and Classical texts
This resource contains a large collection of translated sources written before 600 CE.
Primary Sources and Texts on World History
This resource guide contains links to primary sources from around the world and throughout history. Use the left-hand side menu to select sources by region or by time period (spanning from 4000 BCE through the 20th century).

Western Europe

Countries in Western Europe generally include Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and other member countries of the Western European Union.

Perseus Digital Library
The "Greek and Roman Materials" collection includes primary and secondary sources related to ancient Greece and Rome.
Primary Source Collections Online - Western Europe
This guide by the Newton Gresham Library at Sam Houston State University contains links and resources to Western European primary sources.
EuroDocs: Online Sources for European History
This resource includes links to European primary historical documents that are transcribed, reproduced, or translated. The sources cover a broad range of historical happenings (political, economic, social and cultural). You can also select Prehistoric and Ancient Europe or Medieval and Renaissance Europe.

Eastern Europe

Countries in Eastern Europe generally include Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, the Balkans, and the Baltic states.

Primary Source Collections Online - Russia & Eastern Europe
This guide by the Newton Gresham Library at Sam Houston State University contains links and resources to Russian and Eastern European primary sources. Dates range from 1860 to 1995.
EuroDocs: Online Sources for European History
This resource includes links to European primary historical documents that are transcribed, reproduced, or translated. The sources cover a broad range of historical happenings (political, economic, social and cultural). You can also select Prehistoric and Ancient Europe or Medieval and Renaissance Europe.
Primary Source Collections Online - Russia & Eastern Europe
This guide by the Newton Gresham Library at Sam Houston State University contains links and resources to Russian and Eastern European primary sources. Dates range from 1860 to 1995.

Middle East/West Asia

Countries in West Asia, also known as the Middle East, generally include Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Cyprus, Georgia, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.

Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Mesopotamia and Syria
This resource contains a variety of sources from Mesopotamia and Syria, ranging from 3100 BCE to 530 BCE.
Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Persia
This resource contains a variety of primary sources from Persia, ranging from 560 BCE to 630 CE.
Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Israel
This resource contains a variety of primary sources from Israel, ranging from 1250 BCE to 45 CE.
Ancient Inscriptions from Israel/Palestine
This recourse contains inscriptions (and English translations) of Israel and Palestine from the Persian period through the Islamic conquest (ca. 500 BCE - 640 CE).
Primary Source Collections - Middle East
This resource guide includes links to primary source collections related to Middle Eastern history.
Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature (ETCSL)
This online resource contains a selection of nearly 400 literary compositions from ancient Mesopotamia and date to the late 3rd and early 2nd millennia BCE. To view the complete catalog, go to Miscellaneous > Full Catalogue and click on the "Expand All" button.

East Asia

Countries in East Asia generally include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan.

Asia for Educators
This website contains primary sources from China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, ranging from 4000 BCE to 1450 CE.
Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: East Asia
This resource contains a variety of primary sources from East Asia, ranging from the 6th century BCE to the 3rd century BCE.
Silk Road Narratives: A Collection of Historical Texts
This list of historical texts about the Silk Road ranges from 1643 BCE to 1670s CE.

South & Southeast Asia

Countries in South and Southeast Asia generally include Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Brunei, Myanmar, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: India
This resource contains a variety of primary sources from India, ranging from 1300 BCE to 250 BCE. On your keyboard, use Control + F (or Command + F) to search for "BCE."
Primary Sources - South Asia
This resource guide contains links to collections and primary sources related to South Asia.

Africa

There are 54 countries in Africa, including Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Sudan, and Tanzania, to name a few.

Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Egypt
This resource contains a variety of primary sources from Egypt, ranging from 2700 BCE to about 330 BCE. On your keyboard, use Control + F (or Command + F) to search for "BCE."
Papyrology Collection
This link will take you directly to sources about or from Egypt, ranging from 1,000 BCE to 1,000 CE. Use the subject headings in the filters sidebar to narrow down your options. Subject headings include taxation, land ownership, women, agriculture, and more.
Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: Africa
This resource has a mix of primary and secondary sources. Most range between 1450 and 2013, but there are some writings ranging from 430 BCE - 550 CE. On your keyboard, use Control + F (or Command + F) to search for "BCE."
African Online Digital Library
This digital library contains collections primarily from the 18th century to the 21st century.
Africa: Primary Sources
This research guide includes various collections and archives pertaining to African history. These resources range between the 16th century and the present.
Photographic Archive of Papyri in the Cairo Museum
This website contains a selection of papyri with brief descriptions.

Oceania

Countries and regions generally found in Oceania include Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and the Polynesian subregion.

World History Commons - Oceania
This link takes you directly to text sources related to the Oceania region. The sources range from the 19th century to the 20th century.

Latin America

Regions generally included in Latin America include Central America, the Caribbean, and South America.

Early Caribbean Digital Archive
This digital archive includes travel narratives, novels, poetry, natural histories, and diaries focused on the Caribbean. Most of the sources date back to the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Dresden Codex
The Dresden Codex is a Maya book dating back to the 11th or 12th century. The codex contains astronomical/astrological information, religious references, and medicine.
Historical Primary Sources: Latin America
This research guide contains links to primary sources by region, including Mexico, Caribbean, Central America, and South America.
Latin American & Caribbean Digital Primary Resources
This resource hosts a database of listings that provide links to open access digitized collections of primary sources that relate to Latin America and the Caribbean. The listings may be searched by country, genre/format, hosting institution, and collection title.
Latin American, Caribbean, Latinx, and Iberian
LACLI is a repository of free online resources for Latin American, Caribbean, Latinx, and Iberian studies. It contains websites that provide access to a variety of resources, such as books, data, ephemera, government documents, oral histories, periodicals, and more.
Primary Source Collections - Latin America, Central & South America, & the Caribbean
This resource guide includes links to primary source collections related to Latin/Central/South American and Caribbean history.

North America

Countries generally included in North America include Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

DocsTeach: Resources Related to Native Communities at the National Archives
This resource highlights documents related to Native Americans from the 18th century through the 21st century. The page also includes primary sources related to Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians.
Digital Public Library of America: Native Americans
This links directly to textual documents about Native Americans, dating from the early 17th century to present day.
Guide to the Indigenous Material at the American Philosophical Society
This guide provides broad coverage of the Native American and Indigenous archival collections at the Library & Museum of the American Philosophical Society (APS). These materials date from 1553 to 2023.
Native American: Primary Sources
This research guide includes various collections and archives pertaining to Native American history. These resources range between the 16th century and the present.
Early Americas Digital Archive
This website contains a collection of electronic texts and links to texts originally written in or about the Americas from 1492 to approximately 1820.
Guide to Online Primary Sources: Native Americans
This research guide contains links to other primary source collections and resources.

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