The Stone Age was a prehistoric period that lasted more than 3 million years, from the point when human ancestors began using stone tools until the time we invented metalworking.
Archaeologists often break up this lengthy time span into three periods — the Paleolithic (3.3 million to 12,000 years ago), the Mesolithic (12,000 to 10,000 years ago), and the Neolithic (10,000 to 4,000 years ago) — although there is regional variation in dates.
While the Paleolithic period involved a nomadic lifestyle and the invention of stone tools, the Neolithic period was ushered in with the development of agriculture and settled communities.
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