What does the phrase 'the dawn of stone tools' refer to?

The phrase 'the dawn of stone tools' specifically refers to the beginning of the Paleolithic era, which is characterized by the earliest human use of stone tools. Stone tools mark significant developments in human evolution and culture, as they represent some of the first technology created by prehistoric societies. This era is primarily associated with hunter-gatherer lifestyles and shows the beginnings of human innovation in terms of tool-making.

In contrast, the Neolithic period is defined by the advent of agriculture and more advanced societal structures, while the end of the Ice Age is a climatic change that set the stage for various developments, including the Neolithic lifestyle, but does not specifically correlate with the creation of stone tools. The creation of bow and arrow technology is a later development that does not define the very early phases of tool-making in human history. Thus, the phrase accurately refers to the initial phase when early humans first started producing stone tools, marking a critical point in the timeline of human technological evolution.