Facts for Prelims (FFP)
Source: IE
Context: New research suggests that the Stone Age, known for stone tools, might also be termed the “Wood Age” due to advanced woodworking.
A study of 300,000-400,000-year-old wooden artefacts from Schöningen, Germany, reveals that these tools required significant skill and precision. The study identified 187 wooden artifacts showing varied woodworking techniques.
The Stone Age, lasting from 3.4 million years ago to around 6,000-4,000 years BP, is traditionally divided into the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods, characterized by stone tool use and a hunter-gatherer lifestyle transitioning to settled agriculture.
| Period | Time Frame | Characteristics |
| Paleolithic Age | 500,000 – 10,000 BCE | Divided into three phases: |
| Early/Lower Palaeolithic (500,000 B.C. – 50,000 B.C.): Hand-axes, cleavers, choppers. | ||
| Middle Palaeolithic (50,000 B.C. – 40,000 B.C.): Flakes, points, scrapers. | ||
| Upper Palaeolithic (40,000 B.C. – 10,000 B.C.): Blades, borers, advanced tools. | ||
| Mesolithic Age | 10,000 – 6000 BCE | Transitional phase between Paleolithic and Neolithic; hunting, fishing, food gathering, and early domestication of animals. |
| Neolithic Age | 6000 – 1000 BCE | Polished stone tools, stone axes; development of early agriculture and animal domestication. |
