The Stone Age

The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make implements with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 8700 BCE and 2000 BCE with the advent of metalworking. The Stone Age is also divided into three different periods. This is the longest Stone Age period. Paleolithic or Old Stone Age: from the first production of stone artefacts, about 2.5 million years ago, to the end of the last Ice Age, about 9,600 BCE. The Stone Age refers to the earliest period of human culture. The period started when our ancestors made the first stone tool, about 3.4 million years ago, and continued until the introduction of metal tools, around a few thousand years ago. It was the time when ancient humans used weapons and tools made from stone.

Tools

In the early Stone Age, people made simple hand-axes out of stones. They made hammers from bones or antlers and they sharpened sticks to use as hunting spears. Watch the video to see how these were made. Raksha Dave finds out how our ancient ancestors made tools and weapons from flint. The people of the stone age used loads of different tools that were used for many different things.

The axe was one of many useful Stone Age tools. The tool was both strong and sharp so it was used to hunt animals as well as plant and cut trees and other plants for food and agriculture. These are one of the oldest Stone Age tools and were used widely in every part of the world.

By Hennie