Divisions of the Stone Age

The Stone Age is divided into three stages. They are as follows:

1. Palaeolithic Age

• Oldest of Stone Age Periods, before 10,000 BC.
• Hunting and Gathering was the way of life in this age.
• Palaeolithic man used fire for cooking and to scare away the animals while living in caves.
• To ensure protection early man covered himself with coarse animal skin and large leaves.
• Palaeolithic man moved in groups to scare away wild animals.
• They painted rocks and caves.

2. Mesolithic Age

• In this age people started making semi-permanent houses.
• They probably had light wooden frameworks covered with thatch or sods. They could have been erected and dismantled quickly and easily.
• People started using boats for transport and fishing
• They started making flint tools with handles.
• Stone tools were made from microliths (tiny chips of stone made from blades or bladelets and set into toothed slots in bone or antler shafts) were used to create a variety of harpoons, arrows, and fish hooks.
• A very high percentage of skeletons recovered from late Mesolithic burials around 5000 BC show evidence of violence.

3. Neolithic Age

• People started making clay and metal potteries to store grain, food, etc.
• People started living in groups and led a community life.
• They domesticated goats, ships, donkeys, and similar animals for their benefit.
• They invented wheels, which they used to fatch water from the well, to make pottery etc.
• They used to creat family tomb.
• In the neolithic age people started making earrings, necklaces, ring idol figurine - pendants of silver and gold.