Final answer:
The prevalence of infanticide in early cultures is most characteristic of the Neolithic Revolution, a period marking the shift from hunter-gatherer societies to agriculture and animal domestication.
Step-by-step explanation:
The prevalence of infanticide in early cultures is characteristic of the Neolithic Revolution. During the Paleolithic Era, which lasted from around 3.3 million years ago to roughly 12,000 years ago, our pre-human ancestors began using stone tools. The subsequent period, called the Neolithic Age, or the New Stone Age, began around 12,000 years ago when human populations shifted from hunting and gathering to growing crops and domesticating animals, marking the start of the Neolithic Revolution. This represents a significant cultural change that could have influenced practices such as infanticide as societal structures and pressures changed.