What Were Some Different Types of Prehistoric Tool Industries?
Prehistoric stone tools were used throughout the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age), which characterizes the period. The Paleolithic extends from 2.5 million years ago (mya), when the ancestors of Homo sapiens (early homonids, i.e. Homo habilis) first started using stone tools and continues until the establishment of agriculture at about 10,000 BCE. The Paleolithic is broken down into the Lower Paleolithic, Middle Paleolithic, and Upper Paleolithic based on cultural trends, including tool complexity. The Lower Paleolithic is from 2.5 mya to about 120,000 years ago, the Middle Paleolithic is between about 300,000 years ago until 30,000 years ago, and the Upper Paleolithic is from 40,000 to 10,000 years ago. The ending and starting dates for the eras do not match because people in different areas of the world made the cultural transitions at different times. The Paleolithic is followed by the Mesolithic and Neolithic, meaning Middle and New Stone Age. The Stone Age is then followed by the Bronz
