Protea is like a super old telephone that was used a long time ago! Just like the telephones we use today, Protea was used to talk to people who are far away. It has a big round part that you talk into, and another round part that you listen from.
However, Protea is different from the telephones we use today in many ways! For one, it doesn't use electricity or any special wires to work. Instead, when you talk into the big round part, your voice makes sound waves that travel through a tube to the other person on the other end. Just like how if you shout through a long tube, someone on the other end can hear you!
Also, unlike our modern phones which are so small, Protea is very big and heavy. It was usually used in offices or in special places like hotels. People who needed to make important phone calls, like businessmen or government officials, could use Protea to talk to people in other cities or countries.
Overall, Protea may be old and not used much anymore, but it was an important part of how people communicated over long distances many years ago!