While the concept of archives as evidence is considered a central component of archival theory and practice today, it was not always thus. Across the centuries, the reasons archives were valued and ways in which they were preserved varied according to local custom or inclination. No doubt, future generations will define archives and evidence differently; such is the nature of a discipline that manages the products of information and communications. As information and communications change, society's sense of the worth of documentary products must also change. I have no ability to predict the future, but I believe strongly that we can learn from the past. So in this chapter I offer an extremely brief overview of the history of archival development, summarizing ideas captured in countless archival texts. Then I introduce central archival theories and principles and place them within that historical framework. I end the chapter by considering how archival theories and principles are being challenged today.

Trends in archival history

We have had archives – documentary evidence – since before we have had records as we define them today. Pictographs have evidential value, as do stone stele, clay tablets and totem poles, if one can read the visual or symbolic content and capture the meaning. With such a long past, tracing the evolution of archival milestones over several centuries can only offer a whisper of the deep and complex history of the materials themselves and the people who manage them. But this overview, concise as it must be, will help orient the reader to the changing perception of the role and use of archives in different times and places.

Archives for church and crown

For millennia, archives were considered the sole property of the agency that created them, be it church, state or sovereign. Whether on papyrus, leather or bone, early records were preserved for their owner and most assuredly not for the public. The discovery of hundreds and thousands of clay tablets from as early as the 2nd millennium BC in archaeological sites in Syria, Egypt and Turkey provide clear evidence of the desire by ancient societies to create and preserve records, whether for short-term use or later reference.