The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic or Palæolithic ( / ˌpeɪl -, ˌpælioʊˈlɪθɪk / ), also called the Old Stone Age, is a period in human prehistory distinguished by the original development of stone tools that covers c. 99% of the period of human technological prehistory.

In the Paleolithic period (roughly 2.5 million years ago to 10,000 B.C.), early humans lived in caves or simple huts or tepees and were hunters and gatherers. They used basic stone and bone tools, as well as crude stone axes, for hunting birds and wild animals.

The Paleolithic Period is an ancient cultural stage of human technological development, characterized by the creation and use of rudimentary chipped stone tools .