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Protohistory is the period betweenprehistory andwritten history, during which aculture orcivilization has not yet developedwriting, but other cultures that have developed writing have noted the existence of those pre-literate groups in their own writings.
Protohistoric may also refer to the transition period between the advent ofliteracy in a society and the writings of the firsthistorians. The preservation of oral traditions may complicate matters, as they can provide a secondary historical source for even earlier events. Colonial sites involving a literate group and a nonliterate group are also studied as protohistoric situations.
The term can also refer to a period in which fragmentary or external historical documents, not necessarily including a developed writing system, have been found. For instance, theProto–Three Kingdoms of Korea, theYayoi,[1] recorded by theChinese, and theMississippian groups, recorded by early European explorers, are protohistoric.
InThe Oxford Illustrated History of Prehistoric Europe, an article by archaeologistTimothy Taylor states,[2]
Because of the existence in some but not all societies of historical writing during the first millennium BC, the period has often been termed 'protohistoric' instead of prehistoric. Of course, the understanding of the past gained through archaeology is broadly different in nature to understanding derived from historical texts. Having both sorts of evidence is a boon and a challenge.
— Timothy Taylor, The Oxford Illustrated Prehistory of Europe
For other examples, see also the writings ofBrian M. Fagan on the protohistory ofNorth America,[3] and the work of Muhammed Abdul Nayeem on that of the Arabian Peninsula.[4]
As with prehistory, determining when a culture may be considered prehistoric or protohistoric is sometimes difficult foranthropologists. Data varies considerably from culture to culture, region to region, and even from one system of reckoning dates to another.
In its simplest form, protohistory follows the same chronology as prehistory and is based on the technological advancement of a particular people with regard tometallurgy:
The best-known protohistoric civilizations andethnic groups are those for whom the term was originally coined: thebarbarian tribes mentioned by European and Asian writers. Many protohistoric peoples also feature in prehistory and in history:
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