Stone Age

Refers to the period and culture associated with the first age of the Three Age system developed by Christian Jürgensen Thomsen in 1836. It is a stage in the development of hominids or of a prehistoric human culture characterized by the creation and use of stone tools and weapons, as distinguished from later stages of culture when bronze or iron were used for these purposes. The Stone Age is generally divided into three periods, Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic, distinguished from each other by the degree of sophistication evident in the fashioning and use of tools.