history is the study of past events. people know what happened in the past by looking at things "from" the past including sources (like books, newspapers, scripts and letters), buildings and artifacts (like pottery, tools, coins and human or animal remains.) libraries, archives, and museums collect and keep these things for people to study history. a person who studies history is called a historian. a person who studies pre-history and history through things left behind by ancient cultures is called an archaeologist. a person who studies mankind and society is called an anthropologist. the study of the sources and methods "used to study and write" history is called historiography.