Primary Source Analysis: Letter from St. Jerome to Principia.

1. AUTHOR - What do you know, or what can you infer about the author? I can infer that he in is in great pain about the fall of Rome and he is disgusted at how the people and dead bodies were treated.
2. PLACE AND TIME - Where and when was the source produced, and how does this affect its meaning? The letter was dated in 402 AD and was written by a person directly involved with the fall and someone who was there. so it may be somewhat biased coming from a Roman
3. PRIOR KNOWLEDGE - What else do you know that would help you understand the source? We know that one of the reasons for the fall of Rome was That Barbarians eventually ransacked them. It may help if we new a little more about the Barbarians.
4. AUDIENCE - For whom was the source created and how might this affect its reliability? This letter was written as a personal letter between two, I would assume, friends. this could mean it wasn't meant for public. therefore some of the facts may not add up.
5. REASON – For what purpose what this source created? This was created to give a friend a play by play of what had happened as Rome was falling and to reiterate the horrors of what had happened
6. THE MAIN IDEA – What’s the main idea? The main idea is the fall of Rome and to put into picture the terror of what had happened
7. SIGNIFICANCE - Why is this source important? What conclusions can be drawn from the source, or what questions remain unanswered? I dont understand how he made it out alive. he is important because it gives us more facts about how rome fell.