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Quaternary Period
The Quaternary period is also known as The Age of Man, which ranges from about 1.8 million years ago until the present time. Evidence shows hominids lived in Africa from as early as 4 million years ago, but more highly developed humans known as Homo erectus were discovered to have lived about 1.8 million years ago. Forms of Homo sapiens arose about a quarter of a million years ago and are the origin of modern humans. The first part of the Quaternary period, the Pleistocene epoch or the the Last Ice Age, ended about 11,000 years ago, which marked the beginning of the Holocene epoch when man shifted from hunting as a way of life to developing agriculture and ultimately establishing modern civilizations.
Old Stone Age
The Old Stone Age -- also known as the Paleolithic Age -- is estimated to have occurred from 2.5 million years ago to 10,000 years ago. The basic tools of man during this period were made of stone and other animal parts, such as bones and horns. Hunting provided the main source of food during this period, causing people to be consistently on the move. During the later part of the Old Stone Age, fire was discovered by Paleolithic people, and more advanced weapons, such as the spear, bow and arrow, were also used.
New Stone Age
The New Stone Age is estimated to have occurred from 10,000 years ago to about 4,000 years ago. This period is also called the Neolithic Age, and was characterized by more advanced stone tools, but more importantly by a new standard of living. Neolithic people realized the value of agriculture, and learned agriculture. Animals were also domesticated. This shift enabled Neolithic people to build cities. During this period, various inventions such as pottery, weaving and spinning were invented.
The Age of Metals
The Age of Metals started about 4,000 years ago, but some indications suggest that copper might have been used by Asian people as long as 5,000 years ago and that bronze might have been used by Egyptians about 4,500 years ago. The Age of Metals started with the use of copper in creating tools. The discovery of a harder metal called bronze -- made from the mixture of copper and tin -- led to the replacement of stone tools and the prevalence of metal-casted tools and weapons. Iron was the third metal that began its rise around 1,500 B.C. During the early stages of the Age of Metals, writing came about, ultimately allowing man to keep historic records.