What is history?

History is the systematic study and documentation of human activities, derived from the ancient Greek word "historia," meaning inquiry or investigation. Prior to the invention of writing, events were considered prehistoric. History involves the pursuit of knowledge about the past using historical sources, such as the memory of events, discoveries, collections, organization, presentation, and artifacts or ecological markers. History is often incomplete and subject to interpretation based on the perspective of the observer, leaving room for ongoing debates. History is also an academic discipline that utilizes narrative, based on facts and experiences, to explain, investigate, question, and analyze past events and examine patterns of cause and effect. Historians sometimes debate which narrative best represents events and the significance of various causal relationships. Historians also discuss the nature of history itself as an objective and subjective pursuit and its relevance ...