"The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with the advent of metalworking."
Covering the earliest period of human history up to around 10,000 BCE. This era is characterized by the earliest use of stone tools by humans and the appearance of modern humans.
Human Evolution: The study of how humans evolved and how they adapted to their environment during the Stone Age.
Archaeology: The study of ancient human societies, cultures, and their artifacts.
Geology: The study of rocks, minerals, and their formation during the Stone Age.
Paleontology: The study of fossils and ancient organisms that lived during the Stone Age.
Climate Change: The study of how climate and weather patterns changed during the Stone Age and how they impacted human evolution and society.
Anthropology: The study of human culture and behavior during the Stone Age.
Art and Symbolism: The study of the cave art, rock art, and other symbols created by Stone Age people and what they might have represented.
Religion and Rituals: The study of Stone Age religion, beliefs, and rituals.
Tool Technologies: The study of the different tools that were used during the Stone Age and how they evolved over time.
Hunting and Gathering: The study of how Stone Age societies hunted, gathered, and subsisted.
Language and Communication: The study of how Stone Age people communicated and developed language.
Paleodiet: The study of the diet and nutrition of Stone Age people.
Migration and Settlement: The study of how humans migrated across continents during the Stone Age and how they settled in different regions.
Human Anatomy and Physiology: The study of the anatomy and physiology of Stone Age humans, including their physical adaptations and health.
Human-Creature Interactions: The study of the interactions between Stone Age humans and other creatures, including animals and plants.
Society and Social Structure: The study of social organization and structure in Stone Age societies.
Food Preservation: The study of how Stone Age people preserved food for future use.
Architecture: The study of the different types of housing and structures developed during the Stone Age.
Mythology: The study of Stone Age myths, legends, and folklore.
Ecology: The study of the ecosystem and the environment during the Stone Age.
Lower Paleolithic (2.6 million: Years ago) - The first period of the Stone Age was characterized by simple, crude tools made from flaked stone.
Middle Paleolithic (300,000: Years ago) - This period saw the development of more advanced tools such as knives, scrapers, and spear points. Homosapiens also emerged during this era.
Upper Paleolithic (30,000: Years ago) - During this period, humans developed the ability to produce a wide variety of tools, including harpoons, fish hooks, and bows and arrows. They also created art and built shelters.
Magdalenian (17,000: Years ago) - This late period of the Upper Paleolithic was characterized by a rich tradition of art, including cave paintings and carvings.
Mesolithic (11,700: Years ago) - During this period, humans began to shift from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to settled agriculture and domestication of animals.
Neolithic (7000: Years ago) - This period is defined by the widespread adoption of agriculture, leading to the development of large, sedentary communities and the emergence of civilization.
Bronze Age (3000: BCE) - The Bronze Age saw the widespread use of bronze tools and weapons, as well as the development of writing and the first cities.
"It is the melting and smelting of copper that marks the end of the Stone Age. In Western Asia, this occurred by about 3,000 BC, when bronze became widespread."
"Though some simple metalworking of malleable metals, particularly the use of gold and copper for purposes of ornamentation, was known in the Stone Age..."
"The term Bronze Age is used to describe the period that followed the Stone Age, as well as to describe cultures that had developed techniques and technologies for working copper alloys... This occurred by about 3,000 BC when bronze became widespread."
"Stone Age artifacts that have been discovered include tools used by modern humans, by their predecessor species in the genus Homo, and possibly by the earlier partly contemporaneous genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus."
"Bone tools have been discovered that were used during this period as well..."
"The Stone Age is further subdivided by the types of stone tools in use."
"The next two periods are the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, respectively."
"The Stone Age is commonly divided into three distinct periods: the earliest and most primitive being the Paleolithic era; a transitional period with finer tools known as the Mesolithic era; and the final stage known as the Neolithic era."
"Neolithic peoples were the first to transition away from hunter-gatherer societies into the settled lifestyle of inhabiting towns and villages as agriculture became widespread."
"Bronze: originally copper and arsenic, later copper and tin."
"In Western Asia, the Stone Age ended by about 3,000 BC with the widespread use of bronze."
"Stone was widely used to make stone tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface."
"Some simple metalworking of malleable metals, particularly the use of gold and copper for purposes of ornamentation, was known in the Stone Age..."
"Copper alloys (bronze: originally copper and arsenic, later copper and tin) into tools, supplanting stone in many uses."
"In the chronology of prehistory, the Neolithic era usually overlaps with the Chalcolithic ('Copper') era preceding the Bronze Age."
"The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years..."
"The next two periods in the three-age system are the Bronze Age and the Iron Age, respectively."
"Stone Age artifacts that have been discovered include tools used by modern humans, by their predecessor species in the genus Homo, and possibly by the earlier partly contemporaneous genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus."
"Neolithic peoples were the first to transition away from hunter-gatherer societies into the settled lifestyle of inhabiting towns and villages as agriculture became widespread."