Characteristics of Mesolithic Age

Mesolithic age is the period between the Palaeolithic and Neolithic ages. The period varies depending upon the area. However, it dated approximately from 10,000 BCE to 8,000 BCE. The Mesolithic period in Europe dated from 15,000 BCE to 5,000 BCE. This age is the second Stone Age and was characterised by the appearance of small bladed stones (microliths). The Palaeolithic people used primitive stones, while Neolithic people used more polished ones. The people of the Mesolithic age mostly lived on hunting, fishing, and food gathering. Moreover, the Mesolithic people started some basic agricultural practices too. There was development of cave paintings and ceramics during this period. This age shows the blending of two societies, namely pastoral society and horticultural society.

Characteristics of Mesolithic Age

Some interesting features and characteristics of the Mesolithic age are as follows:

• As already discussed, the Mesolithic age shows the characteristics of both pastoral and horticultural societies. 

Pastoral Societies: Pastoral, as derived from the Greek word ‘pastor’ (meaning shepherd), refers to the group of people who travel with domesticated animals. Moreover, they rely on those domestic animals for food.

Horticulture Societies: A horticulture society refers to a group of people who use simple tools or domesticated animals for the production and cultivation of crops for food. It is important to know that they did not have any mechanised tools for cultivation. 

The people of the Mesolithic age began to use the slash-and-burn technique in horticulture societies. 

• There was an establishment of farming communities during this period. Humans started learning to use domesticated animals and plants for the betterment of life. The domestication of dogs began in that era.
• Lifestyle: The Mesolithic people didn’t live in caves. The people of Mesolithic also did not rely on a permanent settlement. They made a semi-permanent settlement in the form of huts and kept moving at short intervals for the search of food.
• In the second stone age or Mesolithic age, people not only used stones but also used bones, bows and arrows, harpoons, and fish hooks.
• The humans of the late Mesolithic era had developed advanced skills like pottery and paintings.
• The people (hunters) started storing food in some storage containers for future needs.
• They become more dependent on aquatic animals such as fishes for food than mammals.
• Animals of the Mesolithic era became smaller but faster. Therefore, people needed to develop their skills and weapons to survive.
• The Mesolithic People continuously fought over animals, land, and water. So they started to make leaders solve their quarrels.
• The Mesolithic people were both nomadic (a person who wanders from place to place in search of food and other resources) and sedentary (a person who does not wander but stays at one place), depending upon their requirement and availability of resources.  
• The weather of this era started to become warmer than the Palaeolithic age.
• A pendant excavated in England of the Mesolithic era resembles the contemporary pendants of Denmark. This depicts some intercultural exchange or travelling during the Mesolithic era.

Belief: The Mesolithic people had special burial practices indicating the following of some religions. There is evidence of their burial practices. They buried the dead with goods, food, fish stew (remnants of fish have been excavated from some graves). This shows that the people of the Mesolithic era believed in life after death.

Mesolithic Art: The Mesolithic people showed great interest in art, sculptures, and cave designs. We can spot different art sites of the Mesolithic era on the Mediterranean coast. The main theme of the art form of the Mesolithic era includes human and animal paintings. Their paintings reflect the hunting scenes of humans running towards animals. There were dancing, agricultural and battle scenes too. There is a very famous painting called Cuevas de la Araña en Bicorp depicting the honey gathering scenes. Some other notable paintings include The Dancers of Cogul. The painting shows nine women, some in black and some in red, dancing around a male figure. This male figure has a very long phallus. The painting also shows some dead deer having arrows in their bodies. 

Conclusion

The Mesolithic age is the period between the Palaeolithic and Neolithic ages and is the second Stone Age. It varies on the location under concern. However, it dated approximately from 10,000 BCE to 8,000 BCE. The Mesolithic period in Europe ranges from 15,000 to 5,000 BCE. The people of this era mostly lived on hunting, fishing, and food gathering, but there was a steady development of agriculture too. The Mesolithic age shows the characteristics of both pastoral and horticultural societies. The people of the Mesolithic age relied on semi-permanent settlements in the form of caves and huts. The weather of this era started to become warmer than the Palaeolithic age. The people of this era used small bladed stones known as Microliths.