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History vocabulary · Periods and Eras

Protohistory

Meaning in history, with examples

nounCommon term

In history, protohistory means: A period known partly through outside written accounts when local written evidence is absent or limited.

In Turkish: protohistorya, ön tarih

How it is used

Used with regional definitions; it marks an evidential situation rather than a universal stage of progress.

Example sentences

  1. The chapter on protohistory compares foreign accounts with local burial evidence.

    Outside testimony supplements material evidence without replacing it.

  2. For this region, the author ends protohistory when local records become plentiful.

    The boundary follows the available sources, not a fixed global date.

Common collocations

  • regional protohistory
  • the study of protohistory
  • prehistoryThe long period of human history before writing was invented, known mainly through archaeology, fossils and other physical remains.
  • primary sourceEvidence created at the time being studied or by people who witnessed it, such as letters, diaries, official records, photographs or objects.

More terms: Periods and Eras

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