Protohistory
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Protohistory is the period between
Protohistoric may also refer to the transition period between the advent of
The term can also refer to a period in which fragmentary or external historical documents, not necessarily including a developed writing system, have been found.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, the
Use of term
In The Oxford Illustrated History of Prehistoric Europe,[2] an article[3] by Timothy Taylor stated:
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
In the abstract of a later paper on "slavery in the first millennium Aegean, Carpatho-Balkan and Pontic regions",[4] Taylor, primarily an archaeologist, stated,
I have taken the rather unusual step of trusting what the classical authors tell us they knew.
— Timothy Taylor, The Archaeology of Slavery
For other examples, see also the writings of Brian M. Fagan on the protohistory of North America[5] and the work of Muhammed Abdul Nayeem on that of the Arabian Peninsula[6]
Chronology
As with prehistory, determining when a culture may be considered prehistoric or protohistoric is sometimes difficult for anthropologists. 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 to metallurgy:
- Copper Age, or Chalcolithic
- The Bronze Age
- The Iron Age
Civilizations and peoples
The best-known protohistoric civilizations and
See also
- Ancient history
- Indus civilisation
- The Collection of Pre- and Protohistoric Artifacts at the University of Jena
References
- ISBN 978-0-14-029308-1p. 368
- ISBN 978-0-19-285441-4.
- ISBN 978-0-19-814385-7.
- S2CID 162250553.
- ISBN 978-0-500-28532-9.
- ^ Nayeem, Muhammed Abdul, ed. (1990). Prehistory and Protohistory of the Arabian Peninsula (5 volumes). Hyderabad: Hyderabad Pub.
- ^ "Alani". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved March 12, 2016.
- ^ Herodotus. "The Histories". Sacred Texts.
- ^ Sultzman, Lee. "Erie". Dick Shovel.
- ^ "Gaul - World History Encyclopedia". World History Encyclopedia.
- The American Cyclopædia. Vol. VII.
- ISBN 0-520-01596-7.
- ^ Kōzō, Yamamura; John Whitney Hall (1997). The Cambridge history of Japan. Cambridge University Press.
- ^ "Mid-America : an historical review". Internet Archive. p. 228. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
- ^ "Where are the Susquehannock". The Susquehannock Fire Ring. Archived from the original on 9 January 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2016.