Comparative Essay: Paleolithic and Neolithic Time Periods

Comparative Essay: Paleolithic and Neolithic Time Periods Between the Old Stone Age and the New Stone Age there are two eras of people, the Paleolithic and the Neolithic eras, meaning old and new Stone Age. Artifacts present a variety of similar characteristics such as the use of domesticated animals, stone tools, ceremonial burial, science, art, and religion. The Paleolithic era is an era of people who were highly mobile. However as this time period ends the Neolithic age gradually replaces mobile groups with larger settlements that stayed in the same place all the time. Some other unique differences between the two ages include farming, disease, and villages verses gathering and hunting, a varied diet, and small family groups. The two life styles are very different but similar in many characteristics and culture. With a traveling family unit, men hunt for food and women tend to do a lot of the gathering of nuts, wild barley, and fruits. This puts women at a higher social standing and gives them more authority because they bring in the majority of the food supply. When times change and more and more families settle in one area to farm for their food, men do most of the work. Women lost a lot a freedom and power during the Neolithic period due to settlement. During both spans of time, people used stone tools and domestic animals to make work and providing food easier. However, during the Neolithic period the population gained access to making tools out of metal. The migratory population for the duration of the Paleolithic time had an unpredictable and varying diet. These families had to travel with the weather conditions to find food during the entire year and were immune to most kinds of diseases. Settlements gave everyone leeway and assure them a constant food supply year round, but no one ever became immune to different kinds of diseases and illnesses. Living in settlements during the Neolithic era did come with hazards like getting sick. Even from the