The
Epipalaeolithic (or
Epi-Palaeolithic,
Epipaleolithic, or
Epi-Paleolithic) was a period in the development of
human technology, the last period of the
Palaeolithic according to some of the classification schemes used in
archaeology.
The Epipalaeolithic is distinguished at least in the
Middle East and
Anatolia.
It immediately precedes the
neolithic period, as an alternative to
mesolithic.
Epipalaeolithic cultures constructed relatively advanced small-bladed devices from stone or obsidian, known as microliths.
They were hunters and gatherers and generally nomadic, although the Natufian culture of the Levant established
permanent settlements.
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