ABSTRACT
Like all other scientists, the historian always presents a model of what the historical reality was; the model abstracts, simplifies, looks for those elements which are of interest for him, either for rational or ideological reasons. Thus the attempts to formulate historical reconstructions are necessarily influenced by what we now know and feel. These attempts may lead to alternative hypotheses as to how to interpret the piece of historical reality under consideration and the hypotheses are better formulated by those who have already some knowledge of the particular elements investigated. It is not difficult to think of instances in which a person acquainted with the elements under investigation stands a better chance of achieving a satisfactory historical reconstruction than somebody who knows nothing about them, even if the former runs a greater risk of using present knowledge in performing this work than the latter.
