Comparing and Contrasting Paleolithic Society vs. Neolithic Society

1041 Words5 Pages
Many individuals see the "Stone Age" as one big diverse period in history, but in fact the Stone Age is made up of two distinct sub-periods called the Paleolithic (Old Stone Age) and the Neolithic (New Stone Age). During the Paleolithic Era, the men and women hunted and gathered their food, but with the discovery of agriculture and domestication of animals, a new way of living was introduced and changed society forever. This introduced the Neolithic Age, and although many ways of living changed, some were still preserved. Religion for instance was a similarity that was carried into the Neolithic society; both eras did burials which indicated a belief in afterlife. Along with that, some aspects of the social organization were the same. Artifacts have proven that in both eras a division of labor occurred, mainly involving women. As the two Stone Age Societies had similarities, they also had various differences, a main one being technology. The Paleolithic’s mostly made their simple tools out of stone while the Neolithic society produced more advanced tools out of copper and created more inventions. Diet and nutrition was also a difference in between the two societies, Paleolithic’s ate healthier and more varied foods such as nuts and berries and on the other hand Neolithic’s ate more high carbed foods. The same polytheistic religion that was present in the Paleolithic society was also followed by the Neolithic’s. A main thing that ties the two societies together though was the fact that they both did burials. Burial practices reflected the beliefs of both societies concerning death, which was not considered as simply a form of sleep continued inside the house of the dead, they believed in afterlife. Often, in both eras, burial offerings of vases, food, and other objects on the charred bodies of the dead were left in the grave which further explains their belief

More about Comparing and Contrasting Paleolithic Society vs. Neolithic Society

Open Document