The Paleolithic Era (or Old Stone Age) is a period of prehistory from about 2.6 million years ago to around years ago. The Neolithic Era(or New Stone Age) began around 10,000 BC and ended between 4500 and 2000 BC in various parts of the world.BC

Paleolithic humans lived a nomadic lifestyle in small groups. They used primitive stone tools and their survival depended heavily on their environment and climate.climate Neolithic humans discovered agriculture and animal husbandry, which allowed them to settle down in one area.

Lifestyle Paleolithic people were hunter-gatherers. They were nomads who lived in tribes and relied on hunting, fishing and gathering wild fruits. They hunted animals like bison, mammoths, bears anddeer. Meat was a source of food and animal hide was used to make clothes. They lived in clans of people in caves, outdoors or in cabins made of tree branches and animal skin.bisonmammothsdeerfood

The Neolithic era began when humans discovered agriculture and raising cattle, which allowed them to no longer have a nomadic life style. They were able to settle in fertile areas with predictable climate, usually near river basins. Rice and wheat were the first plants they cultivated, and the first animals to be domesticated were dogs, goats, sheep, oxen and horses.animals

Inventions and Discoveries Perhaps the most important invention of Paleolithic man was language. A close second was their discovery of how to control fire.language Neolithic humans discovered how to cultivate plants and domesticate animals. They also invented writing, pottery and weaving. The agricultural revolution in the early Neolithic era had a profound impact on the human species. The wheel is also believed to have been invented in the Neolithic period. Calendars and time- keeping were also invented in this era.

Longevity and Disease In general, Paleolithic people were healthier than Neolithic man. Life expectancy was 35.4 years for men and 30.0 years for women in the late Paleolithic era (30000 to 9000 BC). In the early Neolithic era (7000 to 5000 BC) this fell to 33.6 and 29.8 years, and in the late Neolithic era (5000 to 3000 BC) fell even further to 33.1 and 29.2 years respectively. The adoption of grains in the Neolithic era coincided with a shortening of stature, thinner bones and crooked, cavity-ridden teeth. Another interesting physiological change was a decline in pelvic inlet depth, making childbirth more difficult in the Neolithic era compared with the Paleolithic era. [1]furtherbones [1] Diseases like tooth cavities, malaria, tuberculosis and typhoid fever are first known to have occurred in the Neolithic era. Diseases

Tools Paleolithic tools were made of wood, stone and animal bones. Tools and weapons like harpoons, axes, lances, choppers and awls were used.Tools An obsidian arrowhead belonging to in Middle Paleolithic age Two Lower Paleolithic bifaces Neolithic era tools were more sophisticated. A variety of tools were invented in the New Stone age, such as sickle blades and grinding stones for agriculture, and pottery and bone implements for food production. Stone axes allowed Neolithic man to clear forests, and the adze allowed him to fashion wood for shelter, structures and canoes. Archaeologists have also found projectile points, beads, and statuettes from this era.

Art Paleolithic people are believed to have animistic religious beliefs. They decorated walls of their cave dwellings with pictures of animals, including deer, bison and mammoths. They also made small sculptures; notably Venus. The most famous prehistorical paintings are in the caves of Altamira, in Spain, and Lascaux, in France. This kind of art, distinct from natural formations in caves, is called cave art. Cave art has been found all over Europe, Asia and Africa. People in paintings were depicted as stick figures. The human figure became more important in Neolithic art, which often paints scenes with groups of people hunting, farming or dancing. Figures in these paintings were very schematic.natural formations in caves

Religion Religion in the paleolithic era was not institutionalized nor was the concept well- developed. Paleolithic people believed in animism or spirits that controlled their environment and animals around them. Small stone statues of pregnant women may suggest worship of fertility or nature. They usually buried their dead.

Human Species There were several Homo species related to modern humans (including Neanderthals) during the paleolithic era but only one - Homo sapiens sapiens - survived until the neolithic age.