History glossary
Neolithic
the later Stone Age period when farming, settled villages, and polished stone tools spread.
- Category
- Historical period
- Date range
- in China, broadly before c. 2000 BCE
What it means
Neolithic means New Stone Age. In early China, it refers to the long period before bronze states, when farming villages along rivers such as the Yellow River developed millet agriculture, permanent settlements, ancestor practices, pottery, and early social hierarchies.
