Mesolithic Period

The Mesolithic Period extends between 12,000 and 8,000 BC. With the last of the Ice Age's retreat, the planet's climate gradually warmed; the rising abundance of plants and animals played a pivotal role in influencing humanoid subsistence strategies. Adaptation was key; communities adjusted to the changing landscapes by diversifying their subsistence methods. To improve hunting, fishing and gathering, composite tools like harpoons and bows emerged as effective aids. An expanding range of tools and implements became available.

Shifts in settlement patterns produced sedentism, or the establishment of permanent settlements, as resources in some areas become more predictable. With a rise in small-scale societies came hierarchical structures for leadership and decision-making, largely by groups of elders. Cultural and spiritual leadership was carried on by shamans, whose roles were enhanced by mysticism.