Prehistorian

Human prehistory differs from history not only in terms of its chronology but also in the way it deals with the activities of archaeological cultures rather than named nations or individuals. Restricted to material processes, remains, and artefacts rather than written records, prehistory is anonymous. Because of this, reference terms that prehistorians use, such as "Neanderthal" or "Iron Age", are modern labels with definitions sometimes subject to debate. In most cases however, and in particular as one goes back further in time, these assigned labels are the only way of distinguishing groups of prehistoric peoples and conveying information about them in the present.