"The Neolithic period is the final division of the Stone Age, with a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts of the world. It is first seen about 12,000 years ago when the first developments of farming appeared in the Epipalaeolithic Near East, and later in other parts of the world. The Neolithic lasted (in that part of the world) until the transitional period of the Chalcolithic from about 6,500 years ago (4500 BCE), marked by the development of metallurgy, leading up to the Bronze Age and Iron Age.
In other places the Neolithic followed the Mesolithic and then lasted until later. In Northern Europe, the Neolithic lasted until about 1700 BCE, while in China it extended until 1200 BCE. Other parts of the world (including Oceania and the northern regions of the Americas) remained broadly in the Neolithic stage of development until European contact." - (en.wikipedia.org 31.07.2021)
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