Final answer:
The Neolithic period is distinguished from the Paleolithic by the start of agriculture, domestication of animals, permanent buildings, and advanced stone tools, moving away from a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle.
Step-by-step explanation:
Traditionally, the Neolithic period has been distinguished from the Paleolithic by several significant developments. The advent of the Neolithic era, which signifies the final phase of the Stone Age and began around twelve thousand years ago, is primarily marked by human populations beginning the domestication of animals and the growing of crops, leading to a transition from nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyles to settled agricultural communities. This Neolithic Revolution represented a fundamental shift in the way humans lived, with permanent buildings, advanced stone tools for chopping and grinding indicative of agriculture, and the storage of crops becoming the norm. In contrast, Paleolithic societies were characterized by their use of more primitive stone tools, such as Oldowan tools, and a hunter-gatherer economy where temporary shelters were common.