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The Difference Between Paleolithic and Neolithic Eras

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The Difference Between Paleolithic and Neolithic Eras
The Difference Between the Paleolithic and Neolithic Eras University of Phoenix
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Abstract
This paper will discuss the differences between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic eras. The scope of the discussion will center around the “human” experience. The discussion will draw comparisons and contrasts of how humans adapted to their environment and how they worked to improve their day to day lives. The discussion will also reveal how the humans saw their environment through their use of tools and art. This paper will also discuss how and what events precipitated the change from the “hunter-gatherer” of the Paleolithic to the farmer and animal domesticator of the Neolithic period.

Introduction Webster’s defines the term “lithic” as “stoney or made of stone” (Merriam-Webster, 2014). So Paleolithic would be the old or early Stone Age. This is a period in the earliest history of Mankind that was identified by the use of stone implements and tools. Whereas the “new” or Neolithic showed a marked evolution of how “man” adapted to his environment. This is seen in the tools they made, the places they lived, how they feed themselves and how they represented their experience in art.
The Paleolithic The Paleolithic period is loosely defined as a period of time from 2.6 million to 10000 B.C.E. (Levack, B., Muir, E., Veldman, M., (2014)). During this period early humans were simple hunters and gatherers. They were loosely organized into family bands that followed the food sources. Whether it was heard of deer or a fruit grove, they tended to stay in one place only long enough to exhaust the local provisions. Then they would pack up and move to where there was more food. It was likely a seasonal and nomadic existence that entailed a daily struggle for survival. Paleolithic man was a proficient hunter and was able to bring down game animals using spears tipped with chipped stone, flint or other organic material.

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