Which among the following period of the stone age first witnessed the domestication of animals?

The correct answer is Mesolithic Age.

Key Points

• Mesolithic Age falls roughly from 9000 B.C. to 4000 B.C.
• It was the transitional phase between the Paleolithic Age and Neolithic Age.
• Although Mesolithic men were still dependent largely on hunting, now they used began taming the animals like dog, sheep, goat, cow-ox, buffalo, wild horse, etc.
• The earliest evidence of the taming of animals was found from Adamgarh of Madhya Pradesh and Baghore of Rajasthan. They are Mesolithic sites. Hence, Option 4 is correct.​

Additional Information

• Paleolithic: 
  • It is the earliest Stone age period dating 2.6 million years ago.
  • The age is distinguished by most primitive stone tools. Humans during the era grouped together in small “bands” and were involved in gathering plants, fishing, and hunting.
  • The paleolithic period is the longest in human history.
  • The age can be divided into lower Paleolithic, Middle Paleolithic, and Upper Paleolithic. 
  • During the end of the age, people developed spiritual and religious beliefs as depicted in some of the excavations.
• Mesolithic: It is the second period of the stone age between Paleolithic and Neolithic. The start and end of the age vary by geographical region. It is a transition period from hunting and gathering as in Paleolithic to domestication as in Neolithic. The tools used were the mode V chipped stone tools (microliths).
• Neolithic: It is the 3rd period of the stone age and is often referred to as the “New stone age”. Its time period is considered to be around 10,200 BC to 4,500BC, which ended with the beginning of the “Bronze Age”.
• Microlith: It is a small tool made up of flint or chert, used to form the points of hunting weapons.