Comparing the Paleolithic & Neolithic Ages
The Paleolithic Age and Neolithic Age were similar, yet different. Life changed a lot from the Paleolithic Age to the Neolithic Age in terms of culture and technology. This is mainly because of the event of the Agricultural Revolution.
The first difference is the time frame. The Paleolithic Age lasted from about 2.5 million to 8000 BCE, while the Neolithic Age lasted from approximately 8000-3000 BCE, in some areas of the world.
It may have been different because different areas had different climates. This would have impacted their ability to change their lifestyle and start farming much sooner.
Another difference is how people sourced their food. In the Paleolithic Age, also known as the Old Stone Age, people mainly hunted and gathered food in a nomadic way. On the other hand, during the Neolithic age, people were starting to cultivate land. That meant they could live in one general area.
The Neolithic age was also known as the New Stone Age. During this era, people began to domesticate cattle, sheep, and goats. Remember that this didn’t happen in a day. Animal domestication was a slow and gradual process.
There were also physical differences between people in the Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages. For instance, in the Neolithic Age, women had more children. This is because the lifestyle was no longer nomadic. On the other hand, in the Paleolithic Age, people were generally taller and had a longer life expectancy than the Neolithic people.
Despite the differences, there were also similarities between these two ages. Both Paleolithic and Neolithic people used to keep records in the form of pictures. That is because neither had written records.
In both times, hunter-gatherers used axes, knives, spears, and other tools to hunt animals and harvest plants to eat. Also, in both times, men were more involved in hunting animals while women foraged for nuts and berries. Finally, and importantly, people in both ages wore some type of clothing.
From clothes to tools and domesticated animals, human life changed drastically from the Paleolithic Age to the Neolithic Age. 2.5 million BCE to 3000 BCE is a very long time, so you can imagine how gradual the change was.
Although it was an extremely long timeframe, the developments in human life set the foundation for life as we know it today.