The essentials
The Stone Age is the longest period of human prehistory, when stone was the main material for tools. It is divided by changes in tool technology and way of life.
Palaeolithic (Old Stone Age): people were hunter-gatherers who moved seasonally, lived in caves, rock shelters or open camps, and used chipped stone tools. It is subdivided into Lower, Middle and Upper Palaeolithic. Fire came into use during this long period, and the Upper Palaeolithic saw cave art and finer blade tools.
Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age): began as the last Ice Age ended and climate became warmer. People still hunted, fished and gathered but used tiny stone tools called microliths, often hafted to make arrows and sickles. Some began domesticating animals. Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh have well-known rock paintings, and Bagor (Rajasthan) and Langhnaj (Gujarat) are Mesolithic sites.
Neolithic (New Stone Age): marked by the beginning of agriculture and animal domestication, settled village life, polished stone tools (celts) and pottery. V. Gordon Childe called this change the "Neolithic Revolution". Mehrgarh (in present-day Pakistan) is among the earliest farming sites of South Asia; Burzahom (Kashmir) is a known Neolithic site.
Key points
- Lower Palaeolithic: hand axes, cleavers, choppers (Acheulian and Sohan traditions).
- Middle Palaeolithic: flake tools such as scrapers and points.
- Upper Palaeolithic: blades and burins; associated with modern humans.
- Mesolithic: microliths, bow and arrow, beginning of domestication.
- Neolithic: farming, pottery, polished axes, permanent houses.
Exam tips
- Remember three markers of the Neolithic: farming, pottery, polished tools.
- Microliths are the signature of the Mesolithic.
Common mistakes
- Assuming every Stone Age region changed at the same date; dates vary greatly by region.