The desire to look for historical cities is worse if the source is not reliable
Absolutely, the reliability of sources when researching historical cities (or any historical topics) is crucial. If the information comes from unreliable sources, it can lead to various issues, such as:
1. **Inaccurate Information**: Unreliable sources may provide false or distorted information, leading to misunderstandings about the history, significance, or features of a city.
2. **Misrepresentation of Culture**: Inaccurate narratives can lead to the misrepresentation of a city's cultural heritage and its people, which can perpetuate stereotypes or misunderstandings.
3. **Poor Decision Making**: For individuals or organizations planning visits, restorations, or scholarly research, relying on dubious information can result in poor decisions that affect resources, educational goals, or tourism initiatives.
4. **Loss of Trust**: Repeated reliance on untrustworthy sources can erode public trust in historical scholarship and education, making it more difficult for reliable historians and educators to convey accurate information.
5. **Undermining Local Histories**: Communities might feel that their histories are being misrepresented or appropriated if outsiders rely on unreliable sources to portray their cities.
To ensure a more accurate understanding of historical cities, it's important to critically evaluate sources by checking authorship, publication reputation, citations, and corroborating information across multiple reliable sources.