Mesolithic Age

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The Mesolithic Age is known as the Microlithic Age. The term Microlith means little bladed stone tools. The Mesolithic age has varying time spans in different parts of Eurasia. It refers to the final period of hunter-gatherer cultures in Europe and Western Asia, between the end of the Paleolithic age and the Neolithic age. In Europe it spans between 15,000 to 5,000 BP; and in Southwest Asia, it spanned from 20,000 to 8,000 BP.


Skills learned by men during middle stone age

Of the important discoveries made in the Mesolithic and New Stone Age, the most useful were new ways of getting food. Along with hunting and gathering, man learned to tame animals so that he could easily access the meat when it was required. The animals that he started taming were sheeps, goats, pigs, and cattle.

Some mesolithic people can also be referred to as pastoral, or nomadic, as when herds and flocks of these domesticated, or tamed, animals consumed a majority of the grass supply and their families shifted on to fresh grazing lands.

Invention of Microlith

During the Mesolithic phase, some important inventions appeared. One such invention was the microlith, which was a small, pointed blade of stone used for knives, arrow points, and spearheads. The microlith was a significant achievement in tools made by chipping because it was extremely light and several microliths could be developed from a single pound of stone.





Formation of communities.

In the Mesolithic period, the people assisted each other in hunting and fishing. Groups of families gathered for this purpose and formed a symbiotic and cooperative community. People would live in groups, but when there was a lack of resources such as food or water, then they would divide into groups and move to different places.

Cultures

The culture in the mesolithic civilization was more semi-nomadic than nomadic. These people often had temporary settlements near water bodies and resided there until they had to move in order to gather resources in another area. They were cautious in their movements and hence, did not have to constantly search for food and shelter.

Art

In Spain, The Levantine rock drawings provide evidence that numerous Mesolithic cultures were male dominant, with the majority of hunters depicted as males and only a few images of females. The drawings also portrayed weapons, including bows and arrows, giving us proof that these kinds of tools and technologies were in use. We can also deduce from these drawings the types of animals they hunted. For example, one of the drawings depicts that they captured bees to collect their honey.









Evolution of Transit and transportation

It is additionally assumed that the Mesolithic people resided in collective groups that gathered to socialise and for ritual purposes at certain times of the year. Shell jewellery excavated from some sites indicates that some kind of trade existed with distant civilizations. This interaction occurred with the use of canoes, as Mesolithic peoples had learned to build boats and utilise waterways for transportation.


Food and survival of mesolithic people in their surroundings

During this age, tools like spearheads, arrow heads etc. were invented by the people.

In the mesolithic age, they were utilising the environment to increase their resources, centuries before farming began. These people used fire to facilitate the growth of plants, such as hazelnuts, crab apples and raspberries.


Out of the most significant discoveries made in the Mesolithic age, the most notable ones were newly discovered ways of obtaining food. Along with hunting and gathering, man learned how to domesticate animals such as sheep, goats, pigs, and cattle


Other inventions of Mesolithic age

  • Another significant Mesolithic discovery was crude pottery. Pots were used to store food and water and were made of sun-baked clay

  • The bow and arrow, invented in the Mesolithic period, proved to be a tool of considerable vitality to hunters and fighters until the firearm took its place in the 14th century AD.

  • During Mesolithic times, animals such as wild dogs and jackals began living in human settlements. They became crucial to men in hunting and in guarding property.

  • Since many Mesolithic people resided along the shores of water bodies, fish was a major component of their diet. They invented the fishhook, several kinds of nets, and acquired the knowledge of hollowing out logs to build boats.