<P> The period starting from the end of the last ice age, 10,000 years ago, to around 6,000 years ago was characterized by rising sea levels and a need to adapt to a changing environment and find new food sources . The development of Mode 5 (microlith) tools began in response to these changes . They were derived from the previous Paleolithic tools, hence the term Epipaleolithic, or were intermediate between the Paleolithic and the Neolithic, hence the term Mesolithic (Middle Stone Age). The choice of a word depends on exact circumstances and the inclination of the archaeologists excavating the site . Microliths were used in the manufacture of more efficient composite tools, resulting in an intensification of hunting and fishing and with increasing social activity the development of more complex settlements, such as Lepenski Vir . Domestication of the dog as a hunting companion probably dates to this period . </P> <P> The earliest known battle occurred during the Mesolithic period at a site in Egypt known as Cemetery 117 . </P> <P> The Neolithic, or New Stone Age, was approximately characterized by the adoption of agriculture . The shift from food gathering to food producing, in itself one of the most revolutionary changes in human history, was accompanied by the so - called Neolithic Revolution: the development of pottery, polished stone tools, and construction of more complex, larger settlements such as Göbekli Tepe and Çatal Hüyük . Some of these features began in certain localities even earlier, in the transitional Mesolithic . The first Neolithic cultures started around 7000 BCE in the fertile crescent and spread concentrically to other areas of the world; however, the Near East was probably not the only nucleus of agriculture, the cultivation of maize in Meso - America and of rice in the Far East being others . </P> <P> Due to the increased need to harvest and process plants, ground stone and polished stone artifacts became much more widespread, including tools for grinding, cutting, and chopping . Skara Brae located on Orkney island off Scotland is one of Europe's best examples of a Neolithic village . The community contains stone beds, shelves and even an indoor toilet linked to a stream . The first large - scale constructions were built, including settlement towers and walls, e.g., Jericho and ceremonial sites, e.g.: Stonehenge . The Ġgantija temples of Gozo in the Maltese archipelago are the oldest surviving free standing structures in the world, erected c. 3600--2500 BCE . The earliest evidence for established trade exists in the Neolithic with newly settled people importing exotic goods over distances of many hundreds of miles . </P>

The stone age period that refers to the time after the start of agriculture is the