Stone Age quiz: What do you know about the Paleolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic?

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Is your knowledge of the Stone Age rock-solid?

Stonehenge, Salisbury, UK, July 30, 2024; Stunning aerial view of the spectacular historical monument of Stonehenge stone circles, Wiltshire, England, UK.
Stonehenge is one of the most famous monuments that was built during the Stone Age. (Image credit: Dave0 via Shutterstock)

The Stone Age was a prehistoric period that lasted more than 3 million years, from the point when human ancestors began using stone tools until the time we invented metalworking.

Archaeologists often break up this lengthy time span into three periods — the Paleolithic (3.3 million to 12,000 years ago), the Mesolithic (12,000 to 10,000 years ago), and the Neolithic (10,000 to 4,000 years ago) — although there is regional variation in dates.

Are you up to date on recent research on the Stone Age? Don't take your knowledge for granite — try your best to rock our gneiss little quiz.

More science quizzes

—Stonehenge quiz: What do you know about the ancient monument?

—Neanderthal quiz: How much do you know about our closest relatives?

—Viking quiz: How much do you know about these seaborne raiders, traders and explorers?

Kristina Killgrove
Kristina Killgrove
Staff writer

Kristina Killgrove is a staff writer at Live Science with a focus on archaeology and paleoanthropology news. Her articles have also appeared in venues such as Forbes, Smithsonian, and Mental Floss. Kristina holds a Ph.D. in biological anthropology and an M.A. in classical archaeology from the University of North Carolina, as well as a B.A. in Latin from the University of Virginia, and she was formerly a university professor and researcher. She has received awards from the Society for American Archaeology and the American Anthropological Association for her science writing.

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