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Stone Age, the time, early in the development of human cultures, before the use of metals, when tools and weapons were made of stone. The dates of the Stone Age vary considerably for different parts of the world. In Europe, Asia, and Africa it began about 2 million years ago.
In the most advanced parts of the Middle East and Southeast Asia it ended about 6000 bc, but it lingered until 4000 bc or later in Europe, the rest of Asia, and Africa. The Stone Age in the Americas began when human beings first arrived in the New World, some 30,000 years ago, and ended in some areas about 2500 bc at the earliest.
Throughout the immense time span of the Stone Age, vast changes occurred in climate and in other conditions affecting human culture. Humans themselves evolved into their modern form during the latter part of it. The Stone Age has been divided accordingly into three periods: the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic.
The Paleolithic, or Old Stone Age, was the longest. It began about 2 million years ago, when stone tools were first used by humanoid creatures, and ended with the close of the last ice age about 13,000 bc.
The hunting and gathering of food was the norm. At first, single tools, such as chipped pebbles or flaked stone implements, were used for all purposes. Over time, a variety of tools were made for specific purposes. By about 100,000 years ago, Neanderthal cultures had several types of tools and were using bone implements.
At the end of the Paleolithic period, modern humans (Homo sapiens) made such specialized tools as needles and harpoons. In the Cro-Magnon caves of Europe, wall paintings and evidence of both religious cults and possible social stratification point to the complexity of the cultures.
After 13,000 bc more clement weather patterns resulted in the greater availability of food. In tropical and temperate forest regions, Paleolithic tools, still chipped, were adapted to the new conditions. This period is known as the Mesolithic, or Middle Stone Age.
In both the Middle East and in Mesoamerica, however, agricultural villages had begun to develop by 8000 bc. This is known as the Neolithic period, or New Stone Age. Stone tools became highly polished and varied. By 6000 bc pottery appeared in the ancient Middle East, and copper was used for the first time in some regions. In other regions, the Neolithic arrived much later.
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