中石器时代（Mesolithic），又称作细石器时代，是位于旧石器时代和新石器时代之间的年代，它开始于约一万年前的更新世末期，然后结束于农业的出现。

中石器时代与新、旧石器时代文化相互重叠，其特色是巨大的环境和文化变化，并针对特殊环境在当地做出不同的调适。此时代的特点是细石器的制作，将细小石器镶嵌在矛炳、骨头、鹿角、木器，和不常见的磨光石器上。现存的艺术成品包括雕刻品和洞穴壁画，与之前作品相比，其对人类和动物形式的描绘更为精细。

In archaeology, mesolithic (Greek: μεσος, mesos "middle"; λιθος, lithos "stone") is the culture 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.