9000-5000 BC Mesolithic

The period after the end of the last Ice Age (about 10,000 years ago) and up to the beginning of the development of farming is usually known as the Mesolithic, although in the Middle East it is called the Epi-Palaeolithic.

In large areas of Asia the Mesolithic economy, based on hunting, fishing and gathering, was short-lived; in the Middle East the earliest agriculture started to be developed from about 10,000 years ago, and introduced or independently developed in some other areas of the continent by 8000 years ago.

In more remote areas, such as the colder north, some mountainous regions or some of the islands, hunting and gathering persisted, often using similar tools, up to modern times.

This period probably saw the widespread introduction of the bow and arrow. The arrow tips and barbs were made from small stone blades called microliths which are found throughout western and southern Asia. Microliths were also mounted onto handles to make knives, sometimes used as sickles for cutting wild cereals and grasses.

In eastern and south-eastern Asia, the tools were often simpler, perhaps using alternative raw materials such as bamboo. This region also saw the invention of pottery, dating from about 12,000 years ago in Japan.