Differences Between Paleolithic And Neolithic

Last Updated on March 19, 2022 by QCity Editorial Stuff

While Paleolithic and Neolithic are both terms used to describe the Stone Age, there are some fundamental differences between these two eras. The Paleolithic era was the first period of stone tool use, beginning approximately 2.6 million years ago with early humans living in Africa and Asia. This transitioned into the later part of the Stone Age where humans began migrating out of Africa into Europe around 40,000 BCE. Humans were nomadic hunters during this time who relied on tools made from wood or other organic materials that they could find locally. The Neolithic Era was marked by a transition to farming communities which created permanent settlements for people to live in while growing domesticated crops such as wheat and barley using animal-drawn plows along with new technologies like pottery. This ultimately created more stable food supplies for the human population, which led to the rise of civilization.

The term paleoanthropology refers to the study of human evolution. This field of study includes how humans developed from ancestral apes to our current form. The basic question that this field seeks an answer for is, “What makes us human?” One way we can examine what makes us human is by looking at our diet and lifestyles as they evolved. In general terms, there were two main periods in which humans lived: Paleolithic and Neolithic. These periods are defined based on their subsistence methods: hunting and gathering or farming and herding respectively.

Comparison Between Paleolithic And Neolithic

Parameters of Comparison  PaleolithicNeolithic
Survive Hunting farming
Lifestyle Nomadic lifestylePermanent settlements.
Diet The Paleolithic diet consisted of meat from wild animals that were hunted as well as vegetables and berriesThe Neolithic diet consisted mainly of grains such as wheat and corn.
Industrious More industrious Less industrious 

What Is Paleolithic?

Paleolithic, also referred to as the Paleolithic era or period, is a prehistoric period that lasted from roughly 2.6 million years ago until approximately 10,000 years ago. Humans are believed to have evolved during this time frame and it is widely considered the earliest division of the Stone Age. This age was characterized by primitive tools made out of stone and bones as well as fire usage for cooking purposes and warmth. The Paleolithic era came before the Neolithic Era which began around 12,000 BCE when humans started farming crops with their hands instead of using rocks to grind them down into flour. 

The Paleolithic era has fascinated historians due to its rich history in regards to human development but also because of many mysteries are surrounding how people lived and what they ate. While we may never be able to fully comprehend the lifestyle of early humans, we can piece together some details based on artifacts.

What Is Neolithic?

What is neolithic and what impact did it have on the history of human beings? Neolithic, or New Stone Age, is a period that occurred after the Paleolithic Era. It began around 10,200 BC and ended around 2,000 BC. The end of this age was characterized by metal tools becoming more common than stone tools (what had been used for thousands of years), food production becoming more important than hunting-gathering as a way to get food, and farming is much easier with domesticated animals like cows and sheep. This new way to live changed everything about how humans lived because people could now grow their crops to eat instead of having to go out looking for prey each day. Farming allowed them to settle in one place rather.

10 Differences Between Paleolithic And Neolithic

Hunting: Paleolithic humans hunted and gathered their food.

Farming: Neolithic people used farming to grow their food.

Lifestyle: Paleolithic people had a nomadic lifestyle, while Neolithic people lived in permanent settlements.

Diet: The Paleolithic diet consisted of meat from wild animals that were hunted as well as vegetables and berries, which were foraged.

Grains: In contrast, the Neolithic diet consisted mainly of grains such as wheat and corn.

Calories: These two diets differed in terms of how many calories they provided per day – the average person on a Paleolithic diet would have consumed 2200-3000 calories per day whereas someone living during the Neolithic would have only consumed 1800-2500 calories per day.

BCE: The Paleolithic era was from around 2,500,000 BCE to 10,000 BCE.

Egalitarian Society: Nomadic hunter-gatherers had an egalitarian society where everyone was equal in status while farmers were stratified into social classes with different levels of privileges depending on their age or gender (elders got first to pick at crops.

Era: The Paleolithic era is the period that lasted from approximately 2.5 million years ago to around 12,000 years ago.

Agriculture: Farming first emerged during the Neolithic era as humans learned how to grow crops and domesticate animals.

Settlements: As people settled into agricultural communities, they also began building permanent settlements instead of living nomadically on the land. 

Interesting Statistics Or Facts Of Paleolithic

1. The first instance of a human being painting was found in the cave of Chauvet, France.

2. Paleolithic people hunted and fished for food.

3. There were no domesticated animals during this era.

4. The average life expectancy during the Paleolithic era is estimated to be 30 years old.

5. Evidence from archeological sites suggest that there may have been as many as 10 million humans living at one time on Earth up until about 12000 BC.

6. To survive, early humans had to adapt their diet to include new types of foods such as nuts and berries.

Interesting Statistics Or Facts Of Neolithic

1. The Neolithic era is one of the three periods in which human societies were agrarian, with the other two being the Paleolithic and Mesolithic.

2. In this period, people developed a new way of life by cultivating crops and domesticating animals.

3. It was during this time that humans first began to store food for future use.

4. They also created pottery as a means to cook food or serve it.

5. People began living in settlements instead of migrating from place to place.

6. There are many benefits to living in settlements – they can be safer than moving around constantly and allow for more cooperation between people.

Conclusion About The Differences Between Paleolithic And Neolithic

The conclusion paragraph is about the differences between Paleolithic and Neolithic. It should be at least 5 sentences long. Some of these include that paleo dieters focus on eating more vegetables, fresh produce, lean protein, nuts/seeds/healthy fats while neolithic diets are heavy in grains, legumes, and dairy products. This leads to better health with less inflammation by following a Paleo lifestyle versus an agricultural way of life. The blog post also mentions how it’s hard for some people to change their nutrition habits because they have been living this way for years but the benefits outweigh any negative side effects when you switch over from being neolithic to paleo or vice versa.

The two eras are very different in terms of the food humans ate. The paleolithic era was more focused on eating meat, while the Neolithic era had a focus on grains and vegetables. Some people may have an easier time digesting high-protein diets than others because their gut bacteria is used to that type of diet. If you’re interested in exploring your ancestral roots or just want to improve your gut health, try incorporating some meats into your diet.

References:

Resource 01: https://www.history.com/news/prehistoric-ages-timeline
Resource 02: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/earth-and-planetary-sciences/neolithic

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