The Stone Age Covers About 99% of Human History

The Stone Age lasted for millions of years, covering roughly 99% of human history before metalworking became widespread.

History

Details

The Stone Age was an enormous stretch of human prehistory, lasting roughly 2.5 million years in the commonly used archaeological timeline. It began with early stone-tool traditions and ended at different times in different regions as people developed and widely adopted metalworking. In parts of western Asia, the transition toward the Bronze Age was underway around 3000 BCE. That huge span is why the Stone Age is often described as covering about 99% of human history. The exact percentage depends on how human history is defined and which dates are used, but the basic comparison is striking: cities, writing, large states, and widespread metalworking occupy only a tiny fraction of the much longer period during which humans and their ancestors lived without those technologies. The label can also hide enormous variety. The Stone Age is conventionally divided into the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic, and people living during these periods developed changing ways to hunt, gather food, make tools, control fire, build shelters, create art, and eventually farm and establish permanent settlements. It is therefore misleading to picture the entire Stone Age as one simple lifestyle. Human technology and culture changed repeatedly over immense stretches of time, while different societies followed different paths. Archaeological evidence shows a long sequence of innovations and adaptations long before written records appeared.

More videos

Up nextHow Rats Accidentally Preserved Clues to Human History