Neolithic, also called New Stone Age, final stage of cultural evolution or technological development

among prehistoric humans. It was characterized by stone tools shaped by polishing or grinding,
dependence on domesticated plants or animals, settlement in permanent villages, and the appearance
of such crafts as pottery and weaving. The Neolithic followed the Paleolithic Period, or age of chipped-
stone tools, and preceded the Bronze Age, or early period of metal tools.

Neolithic Art

Art in the Neolithic Near East owes its existence to developments in agriculture, architecture, and other
areas.

The Neolithic or New Stone Age was a period in human development from around 10,000 BCE until
3,000 BCE. Considered the last part of the Stone Age, the Neolithic period is signified by a progression in
behavioral and cultural characteristics including the cultivation of wild and domestic crops and the use
of domesticated animals.

The ancient Near East was home to the earliest civilizations within a region roughly corresponding to the
modern Middle East, including Mesopotamia , ancient Egypt, ancient Iran, the Levant, and the Arabian
peninsula. Sites in these locations dating to approximately 9500 BCE are considered the beginning of the
Neolithic period.

The Neolithic stage of development was attained during the Holocene Epoch (the last 11,700 years of
Earth history). The starting point of the Neolithic is much debated, with different parts of the world
having achieved the Neolithic stage at different times, but it is generally thought to have occurred
sometime about 10,000 BCE. During that time, humans learned to raise crops and keep domestic
livestock and were thus no longer dependent on hunting, fishing, and gathering wild plants. Neolithic
cultures made more-useful stone tools by grinding and polishing relatively hard rocks rather than merely
chipping softer ones down to the desired shape. The cultivation of cereal grains enabled Neolithic
peoples to build permanent dwellings and congregate in villages, and the release from nomadism and a
hunting-gathering economy gave them the time to pursue specialized crafts.
Neolithic period

Neolithic period or New Stone Age. The term neolithic is used, especially in archaeology and
anthropology, to designate a stage of cultural evolution or technological development characterized by
the use of stone tools, the existence of settled villages largely dependent on domesticated plants and
animals, and the presence of such crafts as pottery and weaving. The time period and cultural content
indicated by the term varies with the geographic location of the culture considered and with the
particular criteria used by the individual scientist. The domestication of plants and animals usually
distinguishes Neolithic culture from earlier Paleolithic or Mesolithic hunting, fishing, and food-gathering
cultures. The Mesolithic period in several areas shows a gradual transition from a food-collecting to a
food-producing culture. The termination of the Neolithic period is marked by such innovations as the
rise of urban civilization or the introduction of metal tools or writing. Again, the criteria vary with each
case. The earliest known development of Neolithic culture was in SW Asia between 8000 BC and 6000
BC There the domestication of plants and animals was probably begun by the Mesolithic Natufian
peoples, leading to the establishment of settled villages based on the cultivation of cereals, including
wheat, barley, and millet, and the raising of cattle, sheep, goats, and pigs. In the Tigris and Euphrates
river valleys, the Neolithic culture of the Middle East developed into the urban civilizations of the Bronze
Age by 3500 BC Between 6000 BC and 2000 BC Neolithic culture spread through Europe, the Nile valley
(Egypt), the Indus valley (India), and the Huang He valley (N China). The formation of Neolithic cultures
throughout the Old World resulted from a combination of local cultural developments with innovations
diffused from the Middle East. In SE Asia, a distinct type of Neolithic culture involving rice cultivation
developed, perhaps independently, before 2000 BC In the New World, the domestication of plants and
animals occurred independently of Old World developments. By 1500 BC, Neolithic cultures based on
the cultivation of corn, beans, squash, and other plants were present in Mexico and South America,
leading to the rise of the Inca and Aztec civilizations and spreading to other parts of the Americas by the
time of European contact. The term Neolithic has also been used in anthropology to designate cultures
of more contemporary primitive, independent farming communities.