Mesolithic

The Mesolithic period, also known as the Middle Stone Age, is a prehistoric era that began around 10,000 BCE and lasted until the onset of agriculture, around 5,000 BCE. It follows the Paleolithic period and precedes the Neolithic. During the Mesolithic, humans adapted to changing environments after the last Ice Age, developing new tools and lifestyles. People often lived as hunter-gatherers, using small, specialized tools like microliths for hunting and gathering. They created temporary settlements and began to exploit local resources more intensively, laying the groundwork for the later emergence of farming in the Neolithic.