In the study of history, written evidence of past years is very important. Various sources call them differently: chronicles, annals, annals of history. This discrepancy arises due to different methods of recording significant events - because different peoples and states had their own ideas about what would be important for posterity and what would not.
Origin of the word
For the first time this term began to appear in the records of Roman chroniclers. The most significant events of the political and private life of Roman citizens were recorded in annual reports - annals. This concept comes from the Latin anno, which means “year” in translation. The first annals were wooden or stone smooth boards, exposed in front of the sanctuary or residence of the high priest.
Reports have been conducted for decades, or even centuries. Hence the expression "annals of history." This meant regular recording of the most important events. Over time, historical processes ceased to be taken into account, and for some time the annals ceased to exist.
History of the annals school
Until the beginning of the 20th century, historical sciences accumulated more historical knowledge, but did not analyze it. The need to revise the historical heritage arose in the first half of the 20th century. This is exactly what young French historians Marc Bloc and Lucien Fevre did. A new direction of historians was grouped near the editorial office of the historical journal Annals. Hence the name came for the entire group of scientists.
The goal of the work of young scientists was to study the facts embedded in the annals of history. This movement did not study the periods of the rule of kings and dynasties, but society as a whole, along with the interweaving of political, economic, cultural and social ties. This approach required the use of data from many related disciplines. Historians had to analyze the data of ethnography, sociology, geography and other sciences that study the relationship of man in the state and in society.
Summary
Currently, supporters of this science are analyzing the most diverse annals of history. This requires great attention and attracting various specialists to work. The volumetric approach allows us to assess the significance of historical events in conjunction with the existing socio-political situation, to emphasize the importance of a factor in a historical sense.