Historians divide the Stone Age into different
periods based on the sophistication and methods of tool design. It refers to a long period of time from around 2.5 million
years ago until around 5000 years ago. There isn't an exact date range.
- The
first such period is referred to as the Paleolithic, or Old Stone Age.
The Old Stone Age began about 2 million years ago with the development
of the first tools by Homo habilis .
- The Neolithic, or New Stone Age, lasted from
8,000 years until around 5,000 years ago.What was the Stone Age?
The Stone Age was the period
of time when people made and used stone tools and before they began
working with metal. The Stone Age is part of prehistory because it is
before we have any written records.
The Stone Age period includes our early ancestors through to modern Homo Sapiens (our species.) During this time the Neaderthal people also lived.
People ate nuts and berries and hunted animals for meat and skins. They lived in caves or shelters made from animal bones and skins.
The Stone Age period includes our early ancestors through to modern Homo Sapiens (our species.) During this time the Neaderthal people also lived.
People ate nuts and berries and hunted animals for meat and skins. They lived in caves or shelters made from animal bones and skins.
Fun Stone Age Facts for Kids
- Despite what many toy manufacturers seem to think, there were no dinosaurs in the Stone Age. Dinosaurs died out around 65 million years ago.
- Nearly all of human history was in the Stone Age. A couple of million years of it. Only in the last 5000 years have we progressed beyond Stone Age technology.
- Mammoths and Saber-toothed Cats did live at the same time as Stone Age people. And Cave Bears.
- We often talk about The Ice Age meaning the last ice age which took place towards the end of the Stone Age.
- The people of North Sentinel Island in Asia are isolated and still live a Stone Age lifestyle today.
- Lots of animals were much bigger than their modern counterparts: Mammoths (that's how they got their name!), Saber-toothed Cats and Cave Bears were all really big.
- At the beginning of the Stone Age people didn't know how to make fire but made use of naturally occurring fires after lightning strikes.
- It wasn't just adults who created cave art, children made cave paintings too.
