List of archaeological periods - wikipedia List of archaeological periods The names for archaeological periods in the list of archaeological periods vary enormously from region to region. This is a list of the main divisions by continent and region. Dating also varies considerably and those given are broad approximations across wide areas. The three - age system has been used in many areas, referring to the prehistorical and historical periods identified by tool manufacture and use, of Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. Since these ages are distinguished by the development of technology, it is natural that the dates to which these refer vary in different parts of the world. In many regions, the term Stone Age is no longer used, as it has been replaced by more specific geological periods. For some regions, there is need for an intermediate Chalcolithic period between the Stone Age and Bronze Age. For cultures where indigenous metal tools were in less widespread use, other classifications, such as the lithic stage, archaic stage and formative stage refer to the development of other types of technology and social organisation. Historical periods denotes periods of human development with the advantage of the development of writing. Written records tend to provide more socio - political insight into the dominant nations, and hence allow categorization according to the ruling empires and cultures, such as Hellenistic, Roman, Viking. Inevitably these definitions of periods only relate to the region of that empire or culture. The Industrial Age or Modern era is generally taken to refer to post-1800. From this time, the industrial revolution which began in Western Europe resulted in global trade and greatly increased cultural exchange. Archaeological period articles -- by continent and region Continents Regions Periods articles Major periods Africa North Africa North Africa Paleolithic Epipaleolithic Neolithic c. 7500 BCE Iron Age Roman Sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa Earlier Stone Age Middle Stone Age Later Stone Age Neolithic c. 4000 BCE Bronze Age ( 3500 -- 600 BCE ) Iron Age ( 550 BC -- 700 CE ) Classic Middle Ages ( c. 700 -- 1700 CE ) Asia Near East Levantine Stone Age ( 2,000,000 -- 3300 BCE ) Bronze Age ( 3300 -- 1200 BCE ) Iron Age ( 1200 -- 586 BCE ) Historical periods ( 586 BCE -- present ) South Asia South Asian Periods East Asia East Asia Periods Neolithic c. 7500 BCE Pengtoushan culture North Asia North Asia Periods Korea Korean Periods Paleolithic c. 40,000 / 30,000 -- c. 8000 BCE Jeulmun pottery period c. 8000 -- 1500 BCE Mumun pottery period c. 1500 -- 300 BCE Protohistoric period c. 300 BCE -- 300 / 400 CE Three Kingdoms of Korea c. 300 / 400 -- 668 CE Japan Japan Periods Paleolithic c. 100,000 -- c. 10,000 BCE Jōmon period c. 10,000 -- 300 BCE Yayoi period c. 300 BCE -- 250 CE Yamato period c. 250 -- 710 CE China China Periods Paleolithic c. 1.36 million years ago Neolithic period c. 10,000 -- 2100 BCE Ancient China c. 2100 -- 221 BCE Imperial period c. 221 BCE -- 1911 CE Modern period Americas North America North America Lithic / Paleo - Indian ( pre 8000 BCE ) Archaic ( c. 8000 -- 1000 BCE ) Woodland ( 1000 BCE to 1000 CE ) Mississippian ( 800 CE to 1600 CE ) Mesoamerica Mesoamerica Lithic / Paleo - Indian ( pre 8000 BCE ) Archaic ( c. 8000 -- 1000 BCE ) Formative ( c. 1000 BCE -- 250 CE ) Classic ( 250 -- 900 CE ) Post-Classic ( 900 -- 1515 ) South America South America ( Peru ) Lithic / Paleo - Indian ( pre c. 8200 BCE ) Archaic ( c. 8200 -- 1000 BCE ) Formative ( c. 1000 BCE -- 500 CE ) Classic ( c. 500 -- 1200 CE ) Post-Classic ( c. 1200 -- 1900 CE ) Australasia Australia Australia Indigenous Period ( 60,000 BCE -- 1606 CE ) European - Contact Pre-Settlement Period ( 1606 -- 1788 CE ) Settlement / Pre-Industrial Period ( 1788 -- 1820 CE ) Industrial / Modern ( 1820s -- Present ) NB Australian archaeology is often simply classified as Pre-historic before European settlement ( prior to 1788 ), and Historic ( post-1788 ) but this is contentious as it infers indigenous Australians had no history, despite having a strong oral tradition. New Zealand New Zealand Archaic period ( 1000 -- 1350 / 1650 CE ) Classic period ( 1350 -- 1800 ; 1650 -- 1800 in eastern South Island ) Oceania Oceania Europe Northern Europe Northern Europe Nordic Stone Age Nordic Bronze Age Pre-Roman Iron Age Roman Iron Age in northern Europe ( c. 1 CE -- 400 CE ) Germanic Iron Age ( c. 400 -- 800 CE ) Viking Age ( c. 800 -- 1066 CE ) Medieval period ( 1066 -- c. 1500 ) Post-medieval period ( c. 1500 -- c. 1800 ) Industrial / Modern Western Europe Western Europe Paleolithic ( pre c. 8800 BCE ) Mesolithic ( c. 8800 -- 4900 BCE ) Neolithic ( c. 4900 -- 2000 BCE ) Bronze Age ( c. 2000 -- 800 BCE ) Iron Age ( c. late 11th century BCE -- 1 BCE ) Roman ( c. 56 BCE -- 400 CE ) Early medieval period ( c. 400 -- 800 CE ) Medieval period ( 800 -- c. 1500 ) Post-medieval period ( c. 1500 -- c. 1800 ) Industrial / Modern Southeastern Europe Southeastern Europe Paleolithic Epipaleolithic Neolithic Chalcolithic Bronze Age Iron Age Hellenistic Roman Byzantine period Ottoman Empire See also Synoptic table of the principal old world prehistoric cultures List of time periods Three - age system Stone Age Prehistoric technology Stone tool Flint tool Paleolithic Lower Paleolithic Middle Paleolithic Upper Paleolithic Mesolithic Neolithic Japanese Paleolithic Paleolithic Europe Middle Stone Age Later Stone Age Epipaleolithic Pre-Pottery Neolithic Pre-Pottery Neolithic A Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Neolithic Revolution List of Neolithic cultures of China Nordic Stone Age Neolithic British Isles South Asian Stone Age Stone - Age Poland Recent African origin of modern humans Bronze Age Chalcolithic Bronze Atlantic Bronze Age Nordic Bronze Age Bronze Age in Romania Bronze Age collapse Iron Age History of ferrous metallurgy Iron meteorite Metallurgy Continent Africa Asian China India Eupope British Pre-Roman Roman Germanic Scandinavia List of archaeological periods List of time periods Archaeology History Antiquarianism Johann Joachim Winckelmann Richard Hoare Thomas Jefferson Heinrich Schliemann Arthur Evans John Lloyd Stephens William Henry Holmes Augustus Pitt Rivers Flinders Petrie Mortimer Wheeler Dorothy Garrod Max Uhle Alfred V. Kidder George Bass Methodology Survey Excavation Post-excavation Sub-disciplines Geographical African American Asian Australian Biblical Classical Egyptian Near Eastern Mediaeval Post-Mediaeval Thematic Aerial Archaeoastronomy Archaeogenetics Archaeometry Archaeobotany Battlefield Bioarchaeology Calceology Computational Experimental Environmental Feminist Forensic Gender Geoarchaeology Indigenous Landscape Maritime Nazi Osteology Paleopathology Phenomenology Pseudoarchaeology Stone artefact archaeology Underwater Zooarchaeology Archaeology portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_archaeological_periods&oldid=805356825 '' Categories : Archaeology - related lists Periods and stages in archaeology Talk About Wikipedia Galego 한국어 Magyar Română Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 14 October 2017, at 20 : 56. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. 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Question: what is the period which precedes the neolithic revolution
Answer: Epipaleolithic