Mesolithic era

The Mesolithic era, often referred to as the Middle Stone Age, spans roughly from 10,000 to 5,000 BCE, depending on the region. It follows the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) and precedes the Neolithic (New Stone Age). During this period, humans adapted to changing climates after the last Ice Age, transitioning from purely nomadic lifestyles to semi-sedentary communities. They developed diverse hunting and gathering strategies, crafted smaller, more specialized stone tools, and began to exploit a wider range of resources, including fish and wild plants, ultimately paving the way for agriculture in the Neolithic.