Mesolithic
/ˌmɛsə(ʊ)ˈlɪθɪk
/ /ˌmɛzə(ʊ)ˈlɪθɪk/ /ˌmiːsə(ʊ)ˈlɪθɪk/ /ˌmiːzə(ʊ)ˈlɪθɪk/adjective Archaeology
1Relating to or denoting the middle part of the Stone Age, between the Palaeolithic and Neolithic.The Mesolithic, or Middle Stone Age, can seem a very remote and ‘mysterious’ time....
- This was extensively occupied in late Upper Palaeolithic and early Mesolithic times.
- But historians oppose the plan because they have evidence that the site contains important Mesolithic - or Middle Stone Age - remains.
1.1 (as noun the Mesolithic) The Mesolithic period. Also called Middle Stone Age.
In Europe, the Mesolithic falls between the end of the last glacial period (circa 8500 bc) and the beginnings of agriculture. Mesolithic people lived by hunting, gathering, and fishing, and the period is characterized by the use of microliths and the first domestication of an animal (the dog).
Origin
Mid 19th century: from meso- 'middle' + Greek lithos 'stone' + -ic.