Final answer:
Stone Age is divided into three principal periods; the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic. The Paleolithic era is denoted by basic stone tool use, Mesolithic is marked by the advent of agriculture, and Neolithic involves the transition to settled farming communities
Step-by-step explanation:
The Stone Age is chiefly divided into three periods based on the refinement of tool-making techniques and changes in human lifestyle. These are: the Paleolithic, Mesolithic, and Neolithic periods. The Paleolithic or Old Stone Age (spanning from approximately 2.5 million to 10,000 BCE), is subdivided further into Lower, Middle, and Upper Paleolithic. This period is characterized by humans mainly using stone tools. The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age signifies a transition period post the last ice age, with the beginnings of agriculture and domestication of animals.
The Neolithic or New Stone Age represents a shift from nomadic hunting and gathering to settled agriculture, marked by the development of new forms of stone tools for farming and construction. The end of the Stone Age is marked by the advent of metallurgy, with human skills evolving towards metalworking, leading to the Bronze Age.
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