Tag: social studies

They reveal the awareness and the use of fire by the people of the Stone Age. Probably fire was used for various purposes to cook food, for light and safety from animals.

The period from 12,000 years to around 10,000 years is called the Middle Stone Age. The implements of this period are generally very small and hence they are called delicate stone implements. Man used to fashion handles from delicate stone for weapons made from bone and wood. He used those implements as axes and saws. These types of tools are also known as micro wears.

It is believed that 12,000 years ago a major change took place in the world’s environment. The earth’s temperature began to gradually increase. This led to the development of grasslands in many places. Birds and animals began to multiply in unprecedented numbers. Animals like deer, elks, goats, sheep and others prospered in these grasslands. 

There are many sites in which stone tool remains have been found. Most of these sites have been discovered along the banks of rivers and lakes. Furthermore, since stone implements were essential for the survival of people of that age, they chose areas abundant with the raw material which could fulfill their needs. Areas, where people used stones to create various implements, have been thought to be industrial sites or factory sites.

The Paleolithic lasted from 2.6 million years ago to about 12,000 years ago. The word Palaeolithic derives from the Greek: palaios (old) and lithikos (relating to or composed of stone), means 'old age of the stone'. It is also more generally associated with the cultures and lifestyles of the hunter-gatherers who produced stone tools.

The Paleolithic Era is significant because people established the process of hunting-gathering, which has supported humans for the majority of their existence on earth. The Paleolithic Era also involved the development of simple tools, including the hand ax, and tool-making industries