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

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.

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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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