The Neolithic Period refers to the last in a series of stages of the Stone Age, in which stone was used to make tools, weapons and other implements, as cultures worldwide underwent a shift from a nomadic hunter-gatherer lifestyle to a more settled one dependent on farming and domesticated animals. Studies of neolithic peoples and excavations of settlements and burial mounds reveal numerous tools and implements, as well as objects of art such as carved figures and decorations. In later stages of the Neolithic, stone gave way to bronze as a material for toolmaking and implements, but numerous relics of Neolithic culture demonstrate the complexity of Stone Age tool-making.
Although artifact evidence suggests that some Neolithic cultures, particularly in China, may have utilized metal for tool-making and art, the primary marker of the Neolithic is the sophisticated use of stone for a variety of needs. Neolithic toolmakers fashioned implements such as the polished stone axe and projectile points from tools made of bone and antler as well as stone, which were used to shape, refine and sharpen.
Projectile points, including arrow and spear tips, were made from flint and other stones. Using hand-held tools to chip away stone and create a sharp, serrated edge, Neolithic weapons makers also relied on implements made of antler to shape and refine points, which were then highly polished in a style characteristic of the period.
In addition to their application for weaponry, stone tools in the Neolithic were also used for domestic applications such as making clothing and clearing land. Bone and stone awls, needles, adzes and axes have been found in excavations of Neolithic settlements throughout the world, indicating a high level of skill with tool making for a variety of purposes.