I believe that the advances in technology, besides making history themselves, are also helping in the collection of history. Now, not only will historian in Egypt be able to view old Egyptian texts, but a high school student in Kansas will be able to write a thorough paper about King Tut’s reign using primary sources.
A main reason that the availability of sources is so important is because one must be able to know not only an event that transpired, but also the small events leading up to it. To admire a mossaic is to admire all the small pieces it is made of. That is exactly how history works. There is not just one big event, but rather, a compilation of small events. Sources are the paste that allow the small pieces of ourĀ historical mossaic to tie together in order to see the big picture.