Annals, from the Latin annales meaning of the years, are a genre of concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, though the term is also used loosely for any historical record. The historian Hayden White distinguishes annals from chronicles, which organize events by topic such as the reigns of kings, and from histories, which aim to present and conclude a narrative implying the moral importance of the events recorded. Annalists characteristically record events drily, leaving entries unexplained and equally weighted, without the interpretive narrative framework of a fuller historical work.
Facts
Place of Origin Notable Example Defining TraitConcise year-by-year historical record with entries left unexplained and equally weighted 1 FAQs
How do annals differ from a full history?
Annals list events year by year without explanation or narrative.
Annals arrange events year by year and record them drily, leaving entries unexplained and equally weighted. Hayden White distinguishes them from chronicles, which organize events by topic such as the reigns of kings, and from histories, which present a narrative that implies the moral importance of what is recorded.
Sources
1. Annals (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia)Wikipedia article Annals, Scope section
Generally speaking, annalists record events drily, leaving the entries unexplained and equally weighted.
Wikipedia article Annals, Ancient section
In the late Republic, these were known as the Annales Maximi.
Wikipedia article Annals, Ancient section, Cicero passage
it was usual for the pontifex maximus to record the name of the magistrates and the noteworthy events of each year on a white tablet (an album), which was exhibited in an open place at his house so that the people might read it
In Group: Chronicles, Annals and Histories, Lead section
Annals (Latin: annāles, from annus, "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record.
View the Source Reader Challenges (0)
No disputes yet. Spotted an error or a better source? Open the first one.
Sign in to dispute this or suggest a correction.