Many advances in stone working and toolmaking took place during the Stone Age, resulting in a plethora of specialized tools. One particularly important innovation was "hafting" - the attachment of a handle to an existing tool, such as a stone blade. The first hafted implements were spears. Tipped with fine stone points, or "microliths," the resulting weapons were sharp, durable and deadly. Spears were used primarily for fishing and bringing down large game, but spearmen surely employed them against human enemies as well.

Religious practices also evolved during this epoch, becoming increasingly complex and sophisticated. People's awareness of their own mortality — humans in the Stone Age lived, on average, less than 30 years — brought about the practices of ancestor worship and ritual burial. Early forms of shamanism also developed. Holy men called shamans were believed to have the power to commune with spirits. Rock and cave paintings from this period suggest that they may have practiced rituals akin to magic to heal the sick, for example, or ensure a successful hunt, or bring about favorable weather.

The presence of such individuals indicates that human societies were diversifying, with different people filling different roles. As societies grew in complexity, the need for organized leadership increased. By the close of the Stone Age, hierarchical social structures were leading to centralized authority and the origination of government. Evidence of this trend has been inferred from ancient settlement patterns found in Greece and Southern France, and on the Iberian peninsula.