The main inventions of the Stone Age

Prehistory is one of the most important moments in the history of humanity, being the stage prior to the discovery of writing, and therefore a period with hardly any written sources. At this time is when human beings realized many inventions we use today, being inventions and discoveries vital to our history, but that at that time were something never seen. For all this in this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to talk about stone age inventions.

The Stone ageo Lithic Stage is a period of Prehistory characterized by the use and creation of stone tools and that lasted until human beings were able to use metals. That said, we could place this time between 2.5 million years ago and around 3,000 BC. C, these figures being somewhat relative, although what is certain is that it is one of the longest periods in our history.

Regarding its division, we can speak of three different stages, each one of them full of new inventions and discoveries of the human inhabitants of the time. These three stages are as follows:

• Paleolithic: Between 2.5 million years ago and 12,000 years ago.
• Mesolithic: Between 10,000 a. C. and 6,000 a. C.
• Neolithic: Between 6,000 a. C. and 3,000 a. C.

The main reason this time period is called the Stone Age is because of the large number of stone tools that have been found in excavations. That is why there are a large number of inventions during this time that were created by the use of stone, and that is why now we must talk about some of these inventions made of stone.

The wheel

One of the main inventions of the Stone Age was the wheel. We do not know for sure what was the exact moment of the creation of this element, but its creation is usually located during the Neolithic. The wheel of that time was not like the current one, since it was not even used for transport, but its first functionalities were aimed at the aljafería. Its shape in those years was that of a simple stone disc with a hole in the middle.

The mill

The first mills in history were made of stone and were hand-held. Its creation can be traced back to the Neolithic, a time when agriculture began to gain more weight. Some of the main products that were ground were seeds and wheat.

Stone weapons

Stone Age society based much of its diet on the animals hunt, so it was important to have a series of weapons to be able to hunt. Some of these weapons were the bow, the spear, and the ax. The evolution of the lithic industry also affected the different stone weapons, those of recent years being much more deadly than the original weapons

Stone tools

The lithic industry of the time it made that the settlers of the Stone Age had a great quantity of stone tools to be able to work. Throughout the three stages of the Stone Age these tools underwent changes, being at first boulders and at the end much more polished tools.

To conclude this lesson on stone age inventions, we must talk about all those creations that were not related to the stone, but that were vital for human evolution. Some of these important inventions are the following:

Fire

It is thought that it was during the Stone Age that humans began to understand how handle fire for your use. This discovery was vital for human beings who could already perform tasks during night hours, defend themselves against dangerous animals or cook food.

Livestock and agriculture

At first human beings were gatherers and hunters, this being the reason why they had to move their location all the time. During the Stone Age the inhabitants of the planet discovered livestock and agriculture, becoming producer beings, and getting a way to feed themselves without having to change their home.

Painting

During the Stone Age the first cases of painting occurred, the greatest example being the representations of rock art that we can find in some of the caves that are thought to have been inhabited by human beings humans. The use of painting evolved throughout the Stone Age, going from representing animals to showing the habits of human beings.

Clothing

Another of the Stone Age inventions was clothing. The first samples of clothing appear in the Stone Age, where human beings used it to defend themselves from the cold. At first this clothing consisted of elements such as fur, leather or even leaves, but over the years it evolved. It is said that already in the Neolithic there was the loom, which was used to make clothes for human beings of the time.

Lamp

It is thought that the first lamps existed already in the Neolithic, although they were very different from the current ones. They were stone lamps with a liquid that burned when in contact with the fire, and with a handle that kept the hand away from the fire.