Traditionally considered the last part of the Stone Age, the Neolithic followed the terminal <answer>Holocene Epipaleolithic period</answer> and commenced with the beginning of farming, which produced the "Neolithic Revolution". It ended when metal tools became widespread (in the Copper Age or Bronze Age; or, in some geographical regions, in the Iron Age). The Neolithic is a progression of behavioral and cultural characteristics and changes, including the use of wild and domestic crops and of domesticated animals.
What era preceded the Neolithic?
Holocene Epipaleolithic period