Protohistory

Protohistory is the transitional period when a society is documented through archaeology and written accounts by other peoples, but lacks its own extensive written record.

Prehistory: The period before written records provide direct evidence for a society or event. Protohistory begins where archaeological evidence is joined by outside written testimony.
Epigraphy: The study of inscriptions engraved or written on durable materials. Short inscriptions can reveal local names and institutions even when extensive texts are absent.
Iron Age Europe: The period of European history marked by widespread iron use, with timing varying by region. Many European communities appear in classical texts before producing extensive written records of their own.
Henri d'Arbois de Jubainville: A nineteenth-century French historian and Celtic scholar who studied early peoples through texts and comparative methods. His scholarship belongs to the intellectual setting in which protohistory became a useful category.
Historical period: A span of time defined for studying particular events, societies, or processes. Protohistory has no universal dates; its limits depend on regional evidence.
Recorded history: The study and account of past events supported by written records. Unlike fully recorded history, protohistory often depends on texts produced beyond the society described.
Historical linguistics: The study of language change and relationships to reconstruct linguistic history. Language evidence can help identify communities described under foreign names.
Hallstatt culture: An early Iron Age Central European archaeological culture associated with the development of Celtic societies. Its material record is compared with Greek and Roman accounts of peoples north of the Mediterranean.
Classical ethnography: Ancient Greek and Roman writing that described the customs and identities of other peoples. Such accounts are a major source for societies placed in protohistory.
Bias: A systematic distortion in judgment or representation arising from perspective or interest. Outsider accounts can misrepresent societies through political or cultural assumptions.

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