Geographical range | Old World |
---|---|
Period | Pottery Neolithic |
Dates | c. 6,400–3,500 BCE |
Preceded by | Pre-Pottery Neolithic B |
Followed by | Bronze Age |
Prehistoric Southwest Asia | ||
4000 — – 5000 — – 6000 — – 7000 — – 8000 — – 9000 — – 10000 — – 11000 — – 12000 — – 13000 — – 14000 — – 15000 — – 16000 — – 17000 — – 18000 — – 19000 — – 20000 — – 21000 — – 22000 — – 23000 — – 24000 — – 25000 — – 26000 — | ↓ Historic ↓ ↑ Palaeolithic ↑ | |
Axis scale is years Before Present |
In the archaeology of Southwest Asia, the Late Neolithic, also known as the Ceramic Neolithic or Pottery Neolithic, is the final part of the Neolithic period, following on from the Pre-Pottery Neolithic and preceding the Chalcolithic. It is sometimes further divided into Pottery Neolithic A (PNA) and Pottery Neolithic B (PNB) phases.[1]
The Late Neolithic began with the first experiments with pottery, around 7000 BCE, and lasted until the discovery of copper metallurgy and the start of the Chalcolithic around 4500 BCE.