Protochronism

Protochronism (anglicized from the Romanian: Protocronism, from the Ancient Greek term for first in time) is a Romanian term describing the tendency to ascribe an idealized past to the country as a whole. While particularly prevalent during the regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu, its origin in Romanian scholarship dates back more than a century.

The term refers to perceived aggrandizing of Dacian and earlier roots of today's Romanians. This phenomenon is also pejoratively labelled Dacomania or sometimes Thracomania, while its proponents prefer Dacology and Thracology, respectively.

Overview

The term typically refers to a tendency to ascribe a unique quality to the Dacians and their civilization. Protochronists attempt to prove either that Dacians had a major part to play in ancient history, or that they had an ascendency or primacy over other cultures. Most typically this involves particular focus on Ancient Rome, which, in a complete reversal of the city's founding myth, is seen as created by Dacian migrants. Protochronists also use the Tărtăria tablets as proof that writing originated with proto-Dacian peoples, and the belief that the Dacian language survived into the Middle Ages.