<P> Historical periods denotes periods of human development with the advantage of the development of writing . Written records tend to provide more socio - political insight into the dominant nations, and hence allow categorization according to the ruling empires and cultures, such as Hellenistic, Roman, Viking . Inevitably these definitions of periods only relate to the region of that empire or culture . </P> <P> The Industrial Age or Modern era is generally taken to refer to post-1800 . From this time, the industrial revolution which began in Western Europe resulted in global trade and greatly increased cultural exchange . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Continents </Th> <Th> Regions </Th> <Th> Periods articles </Th> <Th> Major periods </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Africa </Td> <Td> North Africa </Td> <Td> North Africa </Td> <Td> Paleolithic <P> Epipaleolithic Neolithic c. 7500 BCE Iron Age Roman </P> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Sub-Saharan Africa </Td> <Td> Sub-Saharan Africa </Td> <Td> Earlier Stone Age <P> Middle Stone Age Later Stone Age Neolithic c. 4000 BCE Bronze Age (3500--600 BCE) Iron Age (550 BC--700 CE) Classic Middle Ages (c. 700--1700 CE) </P> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Asia </Td> <Td> Near East </Td> <Td> Levantine </Td> <Td> Stone Age (2,000,000--3300 BCE) <P> Bronze Age (3300--1200 BCE) Iron Age (1200--586 BCE) Historical periods (586 BCE--present) </P> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> South Asia </Td> <Td> South Asian Periods </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> East Asia </Td> <Td> East Asia Periods </Td> <Td> Neolithic c. 7500 BCE Pengtoushan culture </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> North Asia </Td> <Td> North Asia Periods </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Korea </Td> <Td> Korean Periods </Td> <Td> Paleolithic c. 40,000 / 30,000--c. 8000 BCE <P> Jeulmun pottery period c. 8000--1500 BCE Mumun pottery period c. 1500--300 BCE Protohistoric period c. 300 BCE--300 / 400 CE Three Kingdoms of Korea c. 300 / 400--668 CE </P> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Japan </Td> <Td> Japan Periods </Td> <Td> Paleolithic c. 100,000--c . 10,000 BCE <P> Jōmon period c. 10,000--300 BCE Yayoi period c. 300 BCE--250 CE Yamato period c. 250--710 CE </P> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> China </Td> <Td> China Periods </Td> <Td> Paleolithic c. 1.36 million years ago <P> Neolithic period c. 10,000--2100 BCE Ancient China c. 2100--221 BCE Imperial period c. 221 BCE--1911 CE Modern period </P> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Americas </Td> <Td> North America </Td> <Td> North America </Td> <Td> Lithic / Paleo - Indian (pre 8000 BCE) <P> Archaic (c. 8000--1000 BCE) Woodland (1000 BCE to 1000 CE) Mississippian (800 CE to 1600 CE) </P> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Mesoamerica </Td> <Td> Mesoamerica </Td> <Td> Lithic / Paleo - Indian (pre 8000 BCE) <P> Archaic (c. 8000--1000 BCE) Formative (c. 1000 BCE--250 CE) Classic (250--900 CE) Post-Classic (900--1515) </P> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> South America </Td> <Td> South America (Peru) </Td> <Td> Lithic / Paleo - Indian (pre c. 8200 BCE) <P> Archaic (c. 8200--1000 BCE) Formative (c. 1000 BCE--500 CE) Classic (c. 500--1200 CE) Post-Classic (c. 1200--1900 CE) </P> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Australasia </Td> <Td> Australia </Td> <Td> Australia </Td> <Td> Indigenous Period (60,000 BCE--1606 CE) <P> European - Contact Pre-Settlement Period (1606--1788 CE) Settlement / Pre-Industrial Period (1788--1820 CE) Industrial / Modern (1820s--Present) NB Australian archaeology is often simply classified as Pre-historic before European settlement (prior to 1788), and Historic (post-1788) but this is contentious as it infers indigenous Australians had no history, despite having a strong oral tradition . </P> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> New Zealand </Td> <Td> New Zealand </Td> <Td> Archaic period (1000--1350 / 1650 CE) <P> Classic period (1350--1800; 1650--1800 in eastern South Island) </P> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Oceania </Td> <Td> Oceania </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Europe </Td> <Td> Northern Europe </Td> <Td> Northern Europe </Td> <Td> Nordic Stone Age <P> Nordic Bronze Age Pre-Roman Iron Age Roman Iron Age in northern Europe (c. 1 CE--400 CE) Germanic Iron Age (c. 400--800 CE) Viking Age (c. 800--1066 CE) Medieval period (1066--c. 1500) Post-medieval period (c. 1500--c. 1800) Industrial / Modern </P> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Western Europe </Td> <Td> Western Europe </Td> <Td> Paleolithic (pre c. 8800 BCE) <P> Mesolithic (c. 8800--4900 BCE) Neolithic (c. 4900--2000 BCE) Bronze Age (c. 2000--800 BCE) Iron Age (c. late 11th century BCE--1 BCE) Roman (c. 56 BCE--400 CE) Early medieval period (c. 400--800 CE) Medieval period (800--c. 1500) Post-medieval period (c. 1500--c. 1800) Industrial / Modern </P> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> Southeastern Europe </Td> <Td> Southeastern Europe </Td> <Td> Paleolithic <P> Epipaleolithic Neolithic Chalcolithic Bronze Age Iron Age Hellenistic Roman Byzantine period Ottoman Empire </P> </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Continents </Th> <Th> Regions </Th> <Th> Periods articles </Th> <Th> Major periods </Th> </Tr>

What is the period which precedes the neolithic revolution