noun
protohistory
Academic term for the transitional period between prehistory and recorded history, when contemporary written sources from other cultures exist but local written records are absent or scarce.
原史時代の遺跡からは、文字資料はほとんど見つかっていない。
Hardly any written materials have been found at protohistoric sites.
Compound of 原 (proto-, primitive) + 史 (history) + 時代 (period, era). A modern academic coinage corresponding to English 'protohistory'.