In archaeology, the Mesolithic (Greek: Î¼Î­ÏÎ¿Ï, mesos middle; Î»Î¯Î¸Î¿Ï, lithos stone) is the period between Paleolithic and Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used for areas outside northern Europe, but was also the preferred synonym used by French archaeologists until the 1960s.