What is the difference between the old and middle stone age?

The old stone age is also known as the Paleolithic Period. This period was the first occurrence of man using stone tools and began about 600,000 or 700,000 BCE. During this time period men were hunter, gatherers and nomadic. The middle Stone Age is also known as the Mesolithic Period. This period began at the end of the last glacial period of about 10,000 years ago. This period began the shift from a nomadic lifestyle to a agrarian lifestyle. The major difference between the two periods was that the middle stone age began the domestication of plants and animals.