1. the period of human development between prehistory and recorded history, characterized by the existence of writing in neighboring cultures but not in the culture being studied
Usage: archaeological; historical

Examples

• The protohistory of ancient Britain includes the period when Romans were writing about Celtic tribes.
• Archaeologists study protohistory to understand cultures that left no written records of their own.
• The protohistory of Native American tribes is documented through European explorers’ accounts.
• Germanic protohistory is known primarily through Roman historical sources.
• This artifact dates to the protohistory of the region, before local writing systems developed.
• Scholars debate the exact boundaries between prehistory, protohistory, and recorded history.