Paleolithic
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| This time period is part of the Pleistocene epoch. |
| Holocene |
Pleistocene
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The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (Greek paleos=old and lithos=stone or the 'Old Stone Age') was the first period in the development of human technology of the Stone Age. It began with the introduction of the first stone tools by hominids like Homo habilis (around 2,000,000 years ago) and lasted until the introduction of agriculture. It ended with the Mesolithic, or in areas with an early neolithisation, the Epipaleolithic.
Subdivisions of the Paleolithic include the
- Lower Paleolithic
- Middle Paleolithic, the time of the hand axe-industries
- Upper Paleolithic