Mesolithic

High school (ages 12+)
History & Culture

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/mesolithic

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the chronological placement?Post-Pleistocene, preceding the Neolithic Revolution (approx. 10,000-8,000 BCE, variable)
2. What is the primary technological innovation?Development and widespread use of microliths for composite tool construction
3. What happened to the ice sheets during the Mesolithic?The huge ice sheets from the last Ice Age melted and moved away, making the world warmer. This created new forests, rivers, and places for animals to live.
4. How did Mesolithic people make better tools?They made tiny, sharp stone blades called microliths. These were stuck onto wood, bone, or antler to make arrows, harpoons, and knives.

Pleistocene Epoch: The geological epoch characterized by repeated glaciations, often referred to as the 'Ice Age'.
Holocene Epoch: The current geological epoch, beginning approximately 11,700 years ago, marked by a warmer and more stable climate.
Composite Tools: Tools made from multiple parts, such as microliths hafted onto handles, to create a functional implement.
Sedentism: The practice of living in one place for a long period, as opposed to being nomadic.