prehistory: before recorded history
protohistory: before written history
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Age
https://kellychang2713.blogspot.com/2024/04/prehistory-protohistory.html
Prehistory, also called pre-literary history,[1] is the period of human historybetween the first known use of stone toolsby hominins c. 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of symbols, marks, and images appears very early among humans, but the earliest known writing systems appeared c. 5,200years ago. It took thousands of years for writing systems to be widely adopted, with writing spreading to almost all cultures by the 19th century.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prehistory
Protohistory is the period between prehistory and written history, during which a culture or civilization has not yet developed writing, but other cultures that have developed writing have noted the existence of those pre-literate groups in their own writings.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protohistory
The distinction between prehistory and protohistory lies primarily in the availability and nature of written records and the understanding of cultural development:
1. **Prehistory**:
- **Definition**: Refers to the period of human history before the existence of written records.
- **Sources**: Knowledge of prehistoric times comes from archaeological findings, such as tools, artifacts, cave paintings, and fossil remains.
- **Timeframe**: This period varies across different regions but generally encompasses the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, and early Bronze Age.
- **Study Methods**: Relies heavily on physical evidence and scientific techniques such as carbon dating, stratigraphy, and analysis of artifacts to reconstruct past human activities and societies.
2. **Protohistory**:
- **Definition**: Refers to the period in which a culture or civilization has not yet developed its own writing system but is documented in the written records of contemporary, literate civilizations.
- **Sources**: Information comes from the writings of neighboring or interacting literate cultures. For instance, the protohistoric period of the Celts is known through Roman and Greek texts.
- **Timeframe**: This period is transitional and varies depending on the region. It often overlaps with the later phases of prehistory and the early stages of history proper.
- **Study Methods**: Combines archaeological evidence with historical texts from neighboring literate cultures to gain insights into societies that did not leave their own written records.
In summary, prehistory is characterized by a complete lack of written records, relying solely on physical and archaeological evidence, while protohistory involves the study of cultures that did not write themselves but are mentioned in the records of literate contemporaries.
