Neolithic (New Stone Age) is the period when farming and permanent settlements began. It started around 10,000 BCE in regions such as the Fertile Crescent and parts of China. People began to grow crops and raise animals instead of only hunting and gathering.

Early farmers grew plants like wheat and barley and kept animals such as goats and sheep. Villages formed with houses built close together, and tools like polished stone axes were used for farming and building. Pottery also became more common during this time.

Neolithic life can be seen in sites like Çatalhöyük in modern Turkey. This period marked the start of agriculture-based societies and long-term settlements.