What is the primary feature that characterized the Neolithic Age?

The primary feature that characterized the Neolithic Age is the development of agriculture and the establishment of settled communities. This period, which began around 10,000 BCE, marked a significant transition from the hunter-gatherer lifestyles of previous eras to a more settled way of life. The domestication of plants and animals allowed human groups to produce food reliably, leading to the formation of villages and, eventually, more complex societies.

This agricultural revolution enabled people to cultivate crops and raise livestock, which resulted in surplus food production. As a consequence, populations grew, and social structures became more intricate, with the emergence of defined roles and trade networks. Settled communities supported advancements in technology, art, and governance, which laid the groundwork for the development of civilization.

While other choices present important aspects of prehistoric human development, they do not encapsulate the transformative shift that agriculture and settled living brought to human society during the Neolithic Age. The use of metal tools is more characteristic of the subsequent Bronze Age, nomadic hunting is associated with earlier periods, and cave painting, while significant in human artistic expression, does not define the Neolithic's primary characteristics as agriculture and settlement do.