In the paleolithic area the people were nomads which meant that they had to travel constantly to still hunt and gather for food, they were not able to settle down because if they did then they risked hunting all of the animals and starving. however the major difference from both eras is the way they got food. They completely changed their lives when they discovered farming/agriculture. They finally had a reliable food source which was the plants and vegetables that they grew and they were able to settle down and create civilizations. They soon domesticated animals to help with the workload and it was a huge turning point. Just because of farming they were able to create jobs, and they actually established a sort of economy which was land and livestock. Basically the difference is the fact that they turned from nomads into civilizations and without the skill of agriculture, we would still be nomads.