<Tr> <Td> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> </Td> </Tr> <Ul> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> <Li> </Li> </Ul> <P> The Paleolithic (or "Palaeolithic") / ˌpæliːəˈlɪθɪk / age is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools and covers roughly 95% of human technological prehistory . It extends from the earliest known use of stone tools, probably by Homo habilis initially, 2.6 million years ago, to the end of the Pleistocene around 10,000 BP . </P> <P> The Paleolithic era is followed by the Mesolithic . The date of the Paleolithic--Mesolithic boundary may vary by locality as much as several thousand years . </P>

When did the paleolithic period start and end