10000–5000 BCE

Period · Europe — Western & Central

Mesolithic

10000–5000 BCE

The Mesolithic covers the post-glacial hunter-gatherers of Europe with microlithic composite tools, and is used here also for the Near Eastern Epipalaeolithic including the Natufian. Sites include Star Carr, Ertebølle middens and Levantine villages. It ends with the spread of farming.

Dates10000–5000 BCE
RegionEurope — Western & Central
PeriodO definition9999–5001 BCE — FASTI - Home (2004)· PeriodO — Periods, Organized

Elsewhere

Cite this article

Stratum Strata. "Mesolithic" (Period). Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21. https://stratum.black/strata/periods/mesolithic. Accessed 2026-09-21.

@misc{stratum-mesolithic,
  title        = {Mesolithic},
  author       = {{Stratum Strata}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://stratum.black/strata/periods/mesolithic}},
  year         = {2026},
  note         = {Period article, Stratum Strata pack 2026.09, as of 2026-09-21; sources: stratum, periodo, wikidata. Accessed 2026-09-21.}
}

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