List of archaeological periods

The names for archaeological periods in the list of archaeological periods vary enormously from region to region. This is a list of the main divisions by continent and region. Dating also varies considerably and those given are broad approximations across wide areas.

The three-age system has been used in many areas, referring to the prehistorical and historical periods identified by tool manufacture and use, of Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age. Since these ages are distinguished by the development of technology, it is natural that the dates to which these refer vary in different parts of the world. In many regions, the term Stone Age is no longer used, as it has been replaced by more specific geological periods. For some regions, there is need for an intermediate Chalcolithic period between the Stone Age and Bronze Age. For cultures where indigenous metal tools were in less widespread use, other classifications, such as the lithic stage, archaic stage and formative stage refer to the development of other types of technology and social organisation.

Historical periods denotes periods of human development with the advantage of the development of writing. Written records tend to provide more socio-political insight into the dominant nations, and hence allow categorization according to the ruling empires and cultures, such as Hellenistic, Roman, Viking. Inevitably these definitions of periods only relate to the region of that empire or culture.

The Industrial Age or Modern era is generally taken to refer to post-1800. From this time, the industrial revolution which began in Western Europe resulted in global trade and greatly increased cultural exchange.

Archaeological period articles – by Continent and Region

Continents	Regions	Periods Articles	Major Periods
Africa	North Africa	North Africa	Paleolithic Epipaleolithic Neolithic c. 7500 BC Iron Age Roman
Africa	Sub-Saharan Africa	Sub-Saharan Africa	Earlier Stone Age Middle Stone Age Later Stone Age Neolithic c. 4000 BC Bronze Age (3500 BC – 600 BC) Iron Age (550 BC – AD 700) Classic Middle Ages (c. 700 – 1700)
Asia	Near East	Levantine	Stone Age (2,000,000 BC – 3300 BC) Bronze Age (3300 BC – 1200 BC) Iron Age (1200 BC – 586 BC) Historical periods (586 BC – present)
	South Asia	South Asian Periods
	East Asia	East Asia Periods	Neolithic c. 7500 BC Pengtoushan culture
	North Asia	North Asia Periods
	Korea	Korean Periods	Paleolithic c. 40,000/30,000 BC – c. 8000 BC Jeulmun pottery period c. 8000 BC – 1500 BC Mumun pottery period c. 1500 BC – 300 BC Protohistoric period c. 300 BC – AD 300/400 Three Kingdoms of Korea c. AD 300/400 – 668
	Japan	Japan Periods	Paleolithic c. 100,000 – c. 10,000 BC Jōmon period c. 10,000 BC – 300 BC Yayoi period c. 300 BC – AD 250 Yamato period c. AD 250 – 710
	China	China Periods	Paleolithic c. 1.36 million years ago Neolithic period c. 10,000 BC – 2100 BC Ancient China c. 2100 BC – 221 BC Imperial period c. 221 BC – AD 1911 Modern period
Americas	North America	North America	Lithic/Paleo-Indian (pre 8000 BC) Archaic (c. 8000 – 1000 BC) Post-archaic stage (c. 1000 BC – present)
	Mesoamerica	Mesoamerica	Lithic/Paleo-Indian (pre 8000 BC) Archaic (c. 8000 – 1000 BC) Formative (c. 1000 BC – AD 250) Classic (AD 250 – 900) Post-Classic (900 – 1515)
	South America	South America (Peru)	Lithic/Paleo-Indian (pre c. 8200 BC) Archaic (c. 8200 – 1000 BC) Formative (c. 1000 BC – AD 500) Classic (c. AD 500 – 1200) Post-Classic (c. 1200 – 1900)
Australasia	Australia	Australia	Pre-European Contact Period (60,000 BP - 1606 AD) Post-Contact Pre-Settlement Period (1606 - 1788AD) Settlement / Pre-Industrial Period (1788 - 1820 AD) Industrial/Modern (1820s - Present) NB Australian archaeology is often simply classified as Pre-historic before European settlement (prior to 1788), and Historic (post-1788) but this is contentious as it infers indigenous Australians had no history, despite having a strong oral tradition.
	New Zealand	New Zealand	Archaic period (AD 1000 – 1350/1650) Classic period (1350 – 1800; 1650 – 1800 in eastern South Island)
	Oceania	Oceania
Europe	Northern Europe	Northern Europe	Nordic Stone Age Nordic Bronze Age Pre-Roman Iron Age Roman Iron Age (c. AD 1 – 400) Germanic Iron Age (c. AD 400 – 800) Viking Age (c. AD 800 – 1066) Medieval period (1066 – c. 1500) Post-medieval period (c. 1500 – c. 1800) Industrial/Modern
	Western Europe	Western Europe	Paleolithic (pre c. 8800 BC) Mesolithic (c. 8800 – 4900 BC) Neolithic (c. 4900 – 2000 BC) Bronze Age (c. 2000 – 800 BC) Iron Age (c. 800 – 1 BC) Roman (c. AD 1 – 400) Early medieval period (c. AD 400 – 800) Medieval period (800 – c. 1500) Post-medieval period (c. 1500 – c. 1800) Industrial/Modern
	Southeastern Europe	Southeastern Europe	Paleolithic Epipaleolithic Neolithic Chalcolithic Bronze Age Iron Age Hellenistic Roman Byzantine period Ottoman Empire

Three-age system

Stone Age	Prehistoric technology Stone tool Flint tool Paleolithic Mesolithic Neolithic Lower Paleolithic Middle Paleolithic Upper Paleolithic Japanese Paleolithic Paleolithic Europe Middle Stone Age Later Stone Age Epipaleolithic Pre-Pottery Neolithic Pre-Pottery Neolithic A Pre-Pottery Neolithic B Neolithic Revolution List of Neolithic cultures of China Nordic Stone Age Neolithic British Isles South Asian Stone Age Stone-Age Poland Recent African origin of modern humans

Bronze Age	Chalcolithic Bronze Atlantic Bronze Age Nordic Bronze Age Bronze Age in Romania Bronze Age collapse

Iron Age	History of ferrous metallurgy Iron meteorite Metallurgy British Iron Age Pre-Roman Iron Age Roman Iron Age Germanic Iron Age Iron Age Scandinavia Iron Age India Iron Age China Tsebelda culture

List of archaeological periods List of time periods

Archaeology

History

Methodology

Sub-disciplines

Geographical	African American Asian Australian Biblical Egyptian Near Eastern Mediaeval Post-Mediaeval

Thematic	Aerial Archaeoastronomy Archaeogenetics Archaeometry Archaeobotany Battlefield Bioarchaeology Calceology Computational Experimental Environmental Feminist Forensic Gender Indigenous Landscape Maritime Nazi Osteology Paleopathology Phenomenology Pseudoarchaeology Underwater Zooarchaeology

List of archaeological periods

See also