The Importance and Role of Archival Material in General Range of Historical Studies (Bosnian-Herzegovian Experience)

This paper discusses the importance of archival material and especially its publication for historical research. In fact, starting from the Middle Ages through to the modern age, historical research and historical achievements of science to a large extent depended on the archive material (written historical sources). Historical sources can be provided through archival fonds and collections, or through the publication of archival material in the conference documents. The process of provision of historical sources is long and complex, involves a wide range of professional, organizational and technical actions and procedures, since the creation of archives to the placing of the same in the user purposes. An important basis for historical research make published archive documents, including certain technical and material basis. In the archives in Bosnia and Herzegovina this important issue has always been given attention in accordance with human and material capacities of the same, which were mostly very poor. A little more attention paid to this area of work is in the Archives of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in regional archives in Tuzla, Banja Luka, Sarajevo and Mostar, which resulted in the publication of several dozen collections of documents. Publishing of archival documents (historical sources) created the important research and scientific base, which has resulted in a significant historical synthesis relating to important issues and topics from the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina.