The Paleolithic Period
A member of Homo neanderthalensis cooling off in a natural spring.
The paleolithic period began around 2 - 2.6 million years ago, and ended at different times in the world ranging from 40,000 BC - 10,000 BC. During the paleolithic period, humans lived together in small hunter-gatherer nomadic societies. Man had new opportunities, with the geographical features we know today having just been formed. Homo habilis developed some of the first tools in order to hunt for food. Theses tools were fairly simple tools, often sticks with sharp pieces of flint attached to the top. This period is the longest period of human history and development. Within the over two million years of history during this period, the species of human known as Homo habilis eventually migrated and spread throughout the world. Through evolution, other species of humans from the genus Homo emerged, such as Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis (aka neanderthals). These species of humans furthered humanities technological advancements by harnessing the power of fire and by creating more sophisticated weapons. While Homo erectus stayed in their native lands of Africa, Homo neanderthalensis migrated into Eurasia, where they developed a slightly different bone structure than that of Homo erectus. Eventually, Homo erectus gradually evolved to the point where they formed a new species, called Homo sapiens - which is what humans are to this day. Homo sapiens were the most sophisticated in both tool-making and thinking out of all the Homo genus. It is believed that Homo neanderthalensis may have interbred with Homo sapiens, but there is also a theory that Homo sapiens drove the neanderthals to extnction by the end of the Paleolithic period.
Mesolithic Period
A Mesolithic period man getting ready
for some fun in the sun.
During the Mesolithic period, or the middle stone age, man created new ways to help them hunt and forage for food better. This period of human history lasted from the end of the Paleolithic period to the beginning of the Neolithic period. Man's most notable achievement of this time was the domestication of dogs for hunting, and the beginnings of domestication of plants. Society was also changing; people started to settle in small communities along rivers in order to fish and hunt for more food. They improved their hunting weapons by using "microliths" which were smaller, more delicate weapons than that of the Paleolithic period. The Mesolithic period was an important stage in modern society's development. It was the catalyst between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods in the history of mankind.
Neolithic Period
A Neolithic period man trying to impress his mate in his natural habitat.
The Neolithic period, aka the new stone age, lasted from the end of the Mesolithic period to the beginning of the copper age. Many of the same tools were made during this time, however they were slightly more refined. They were smoother and more durable than the tools of the Mesolithic period. With this new era came one of the most important technological leaps of all: agriculture. Because of the increased durability of the new stone weapons, man could till the land and plant crops to grow food, which allowed for the nomadic hunter-gatherer society to further develop into a more sophisticated, permanent society. Agriculture made it so that the average Neolithic man did not have to go out and catch food every day in order to eat, which allowed him to focus on other matters. The Neolithic period's tools helped create society as we know it today, and without it we would still be hunting and gathering for our food.