1. GÜN | Tarih ve Zaman | TYT Tarih Kampı | 2025 YKS

Main Ideas & Concepts

Meaning and Scope of “History”

• Etymology: The word history is associated with story/narrative, referring to the past.

• Not every past event is history. For an event/person to be considered history, it must have:

  • Time depth (a number of years has passed), and
  • Importance, creating historical impact on humanity.
  • Personal family history isn’t automatically history. Example: grandparents living past 100 years may be notable, but it isn’t automatically “history.”

Core keyword: humanity History examines what humans do, change, and produce.

History Is Not Random

History is a scientific discipline governed by rules and methods such as:

• Cause–effect analysis
• Identifying the time and place
• Using document-based evidence

Why History Matters

• If people don’t know their past, they can’t guide the future—others will write the future for them.
• Knowing history helps with future planning (analogy: without memory, you can’t plan).

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How History Is Studied (Key Definition Elements)

History studies human activity in the past through a cause-and-effect framework, aiming for objective understanding using documents.

Common test-style checklist (“which is NOT mentioned / which is correct”):

• Time/chronology (present or missing)
• Place (present or missing)
• Cause–effect links (explicitly included or not)
• Objectivity / correct conclusions
• Human relationships/activities

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Subject-Matter Areas (How Events Are Categorized)

Events may be grouped into domains such as:

• Political: proclamation of the republic; abolition of the sultanate
• Military: Battle of Manzikert
• Social: Central Asian Turkic migrations; social movements and problems
• Economic: Industrial Revolution; Ottoman public debt administration
• Cultural: invention of writing; printing books/newspapers/magazines
• Religious: birth/spread of Islam; spread of Christianity
• Architecture: Sultan Ahmet Mosque; Selimiye Mosque

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Limits of “Absolute Truth” in History

• The goal is correct historical knowledge, but absolute truth always does not exist.
• New documents may appear and old interpretations may be corrected:
  • A previously “oldest source” can be replaced by a new discovery.
• Therefore, historical knowledge can change as sources evolve.

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Characteristics of Historical Science

• Historical events cannot be repeated. Example: the conquest of Istanbul cannot simply be “done again.”

• No experimental/chemical-style certainty. History is not based on experiments like chemistry or biology—there is no “formula” guaranteeing outcomes.

• Events under study have known time and place.

• Documents underpin conclusions.
• Outcomes can become causes for later events:
  • Crusades → Europeans learn about inventions (paper, gunpowder)
  • Conquest of Istanbul → changes in Europe (e.g., possibility of demolishing walls; decline of feudalism)
• Historical judgments are not always certain; new evidence can revise interpretations.

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Events vs. Phenomena

Event

• Has a clear beginning and end
• Occurs in a specific time and place
• Usually short-lived
• Example: Conquest of Istanbul (specific date/place)

Phenomenon

• Occurs over a long duration
• Shows continuity
• Abstract, not tied to a single fixed date/place
• Examples:
  • Turkish migration to Anatolia / Turkification
  • Gradual acceptance of Islam

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Learning History: What It Develops in People

History learning supports:

• Cultural accumulation
• Understanding state-building processes
• Comprehending economic developments
• Chronological/time knowledge (because history gives time/place)

Not supported claim:

• History does not develop “imperialistic feelings.”

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Sources in History

Source Definition

• Sources are materials that form the basis for historical information.

Types of Sources

• Primary sources (main sources):
  • Documents/artifacts from the period an event occurred
  • Examples: inscriptions, monuments, archaeological finds, coins (including Orkhon Inscriptions)
• Secondary sources:
  • Later works created using primary sources and other historical evidence
  • Example: historian books about past periods (e.g., works by İlber Taylı)

Source Types (by Form)

• Oral: legends, epics, anecdotes (spoken, passed person to person)
• Written: tablets, inscriptions, decrees, charters
• Audio-visual: pictures, photographs, films, video
• Real objects: artifacts uncovered through archaeology (e.g., coins)

First-hand vs. Second-hand Logic

• A first-hand source must belong to the relevant period/event.

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Auxiliary Sciences of History (What Each Studies)

• Geography: interaction of humans and space
• Archaeology: excavation; reveals material remains
• Anthropology: human races
• Ethnography: societies
• Law: customs/traditions/ways of life; legal rules and constitutions
• Chronology: arranges times of events/phenomena (past → present)
• Literature: words and writings
• Philosophy: thoughts
• Paleography: writings, alphabets, and changes over time
• Epigraphy: inscriptions
• Sociology: societies
• Philology: language history and language change
• Diplomacy: agreements made in the past
• Numismatics: money; coins and their characteristics
• Statistics: data
• Heraldry: coats of arms
• Art history: painting, sculpture, architecture
• Chemistry: carbon-14 (dating)
• Sicilography: seals
• Archaeometry: dating

Test-style reasoning example:

• If a paragraph mentions topics like 1789, constitution, regime change, nobles/church, and society → it may map to chronology/law/theology/sociology, not numismatics.

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Why History Is Important (Benefits)

• Builds connection to nation: learning ancestors and achievements fosters belonging
• Supports national and social identity and national awareness
• Atatürk quote (cited): knowing ancestors strengthens individuals to achieve greater things
• Improves skills:
  • Questioning and critical thinking
  • Objective, evidence-seeking mindset
  • Research and evidence-based capability

Perspective Rule

Evaluate past events using the conditions of that time, not today’s standards. Examples:

• Early humans living in caves due to available technology
• Camel use in deserts before modern vehicles

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Division of Time (Periodization)

People structure long past time using terms like:

• Age, era, period
• Examples: Ancient Age, Middle Ages, prehistoric periods

Number-Line Framework (CE/BCE)

• 0: start of Common Era (framed as birth of Jesus in the subtitle context)
• Before: BCE / “before Jesus”
• After: CE / “after Jesus”

Major Period Markers Mentioned

• Writing invention (~3500 BC) → boundary between prehistoric and historical periods
• Writing to People’s Migration → Ancient Age
• People’s Migration to conquest of Istanbul (1453) → Middle/Dark Ages
• Conquest of Istanbul to the following revolution → Modern Age
• 1789 to present → Contemporary Age

Periodization varies by society/state:

• Europeans may use discovery of America
• Christians may use Jesus’ birth
• Muslims may use Hijra (migration)

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Calendars Used by Turks (and Related Features)

12-Animal Turkish Calendar

• Oldest calendar cited
• Solar-year based
• Each year named after an animal

Hijri Calendar

• Lunar-year based
• 12 months
• Mentioned as involving 365 days + 5 hours
• Used after acceptance of Islam
• Associated with Caliph Umar

Rumi and Jalali Calendars

• Created to meet Ottoman/Seljuk needs (especially trade/fiscal convenience)
• Solar-year based, with Hijra as the starting point
• Jalali:
  • Prepared on request of Malik Shah
  • Prepared by Omar Ayyam
  • 12 months; mentioned as 365 days + 6 hours

Gregorian Calendar

• Currently used by Turkey
• Switched in 1926
• Solar-year based
• 12 months; mentioned as 365 days + 6 hours
• Birth of Jesus used as basis (as stated)

Century Calculation Method (taught)

For example, 1789:

• Take first two digits (17)
• Add 1 → 18th century

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Test-Style Reasoning About Calendar Adaptation

Example conclusion logic:

• Other civilizations adopted and modified the Egyptian solar-year calendar
• Societal needs are similar
• Scientific/cultural interaction drives adaptation and development These support the final selected option (e.g., option E in subtitles).

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Methodology / Instruction-Style Bullet Points (As Presented)

Deciding Whether Something Counts as “History”

• Ensure sufficient time has passed
• Verify the event/person is important and has historical impact on humanity
• Focus on humanity-related activities and developments

Answering History Definition Multiple-Choice Questions

Check which elements appear:

• Time/chronology
• Place
• Cause–effect links
• Objectivity/correct conclusions
• Human relationships/activities Choose the option that is NOT included if the question asks “NOT mentioned.”

Evaluating Historical Events (Perspective Rule)

• Identify the time period
• Assess using the conditions and possibilities of that time
• Do not judge using today’s norms/technology

Classifying “Events” vs. “Phenomena”

• Clear start/end → event
• Long duration + continuity + no single fixed date/place → phenomenon

Primary vs. Secondary Sources

• Primary: created during the event period (or directly from that period’s artifacts/documents)
• Secondary: created later, based on primary evidence

Century Calculation Method

• Take first two digits of the year
• Add 1
• Example: 1789 → 17 + 1 = 18th century

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Speakers / Sources Featured

• Teacher / Professor: main speaker (unnamed)
• Atatürk: referenced; “Turkish child…” quote
• Voltaire: quoted definition of history as stories passed across generations
• İlber Taylı: example of an Ottoman history author (secondary source example)
• Professor Fatih (“Fatih’s Social Castle”): audio-visual source example
• Caliph Umar: associated with Hijri context
• Malik Shah: associated with Jalali calendar creation request
• Omar Ayyam: associated with preparing the Jalali calendar
• Julius Caesar and the Pope: linked to Gregorian calendar development context
• TBMM (Grand National Assembly): mentioned as a document category (in an example)
• Book “K Plus”: mentioned as homework source
• In-video homework creator / “Professor” who wrote K Plus: implied (not explicitly named)