Editing Statue (section)

==Historical periods==
{{main|Sculpture}}
===Prehistoric===
[[File:Urfa man.jpg|thumb|''[[Urfa Man]]'', a {{convert|1.80|m}} of standstone developed in {{circa|9,000 BC}} and now housed at [[Şanlıurfa Museum]]]]
The [[Venus of Berekhat Ram]], an [[anthropomorphic]] pebble found on the [[Golan Heights]] and dated to at least 230,000 years before present, is claimed to be the oldest known statuette. However, researchers are divided as to whether its shape is derived from natural erosion or was carved by an [[Homo erectus|early human]].<ref>[http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/prehistoric/venus-of-berekhat-ram.htm ''Venus of Berekhat Ram (230-700,000 BCE)'' cork.com]</ref> The [[Venus of Tan-Tan]], a similar object of similar age found in [[Morocco]], has also been claimed to be a statuette.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3047383.stm|title='Oldest sculpture' found in Morocco|last=Rincon|first=Paul|date=23 May 2003|work=BBC News|access-date=2009-05-15}}</ref>

The [[Löwenmensch figurine]] and the [[Venus of Hohle Fels]], both from [[Germany]], are the oldest confirmed statuettes in the world, dating to 35,000-40,000 years ago.<ref>"Lion man takes pride of place as oldest statue" by Rex Dalton, ''Nature'' 425, 7 (4 September 2003) doi:10.1038/425007a also [http://www.nature.com/news/2003/030904/full/news030901-6.html Nature News 4 September 2003]</ref><ref>"Ice Age Lion Man is world's earliest figurative sculpture" by Martin Bailey, [http://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Ice-Age-iLion-Mani-is-worlds-earliest-figurative-sculpture/28595 The Art Newspaper 31 January 2013]</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/news/press-releases/newsfullview-pressemitteilungen/article/es-muss-eigentlich-eine-frau-sein.html | title="It must be a woman" - The female depictions from Hohle Fels date to 40,000 years ago... | publisher=Universität Tübingen | date=July 22, 2016 | access-date=July 26, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011145105/https://www.uni-tuebingen.de/en/news/press-releases/newsfullview-pressemitteilungen/article/es-muss-eigentlich-eine-frau-sein.html | archive-date=October 11, 2016 | url-status=dead | df=mdy-all }}</ref>

The oldest known life-sized statue is [[Urfa Man]] found in [[Turkey]] which is dated to around 9,000 BC.

===Antiquity===
====Religion====
Throughout history, statues have been associated with [[cult image]]s in many religious traditions, from [[Ancient Egypt]], [[Ancient India]], [[Ancient Greece]], and [[Ancient Rome]] to the present.  Egyptian statues showing kings as [[sphinx]]es have existed since the [[Old Kingdom of Egypt|Old Kingdom]], the oldest being for [[Djedefre]] ({{circa|2500 BC}}).<ref>''The Egyptian Museum in Cairo'' by Abeer El-Shahawy and Farid Atiya (10 November 2005) {{ISBN|9771721836}} page 117</ref> The oldest statue of a striding pharaoh dates from the reign of [[Senwosret I]] ({{circa|1950 BC}}) and is the Egyptian Museum, Cairo.<ref>'' The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt'' by Donald B. Redford (15 December 2000) {{ISBN|0195102347}} page 230</ref> The [[Middle Kingdom of Egypt]] (starting around 2000 BC) witnessed the growth of [[block statue]]s which then became the most popular form until the [[Ptolemaic Kingdom|Ptolemaic period]] ({{circa|300 BC}}).<ref>''Egyptian Statues'' by Gay Robins (4 March 2008) {{ISBN|0747805202}} page 28</ref>

The focal point of the [[cella]] or main interior space of a Roman or [[Greek temple]] was a statue of the deity it was dedicated to. In major temples these could be several times life-size.  Other statues of deities might have subordinate positions along the side walls.

The oldest statue of a [[deity]] in Rome was the bronze statue of [[Ceres (mythology)|Ceres]] in 485 BC.<ref>''Famous Firsts in the Ancient Greek and Roman World'' by David Matz (Jun 2000) {{ISBN|0786405996}} page 87</ref><ref>''The Art of Rome c.753 B.C.-A.D. 337'' by Jerome Jordan Pollitt (30 June 1983) {{ISBN|052127365X}} page 19</ref> The oldest statue in Rome is now the statue of [[Diana (mythology)|Diana]] on the [[Aventine Hill|Aventine]].<ref>''Samnium and the Samnites'' by E. T. Salmon (2 September 1967) {{ISBN|0521061857}} page 181</ref>

====Politics====
For a successful Greek or Roman politician or businessman (who donated considerable sums to public projects for the honour), having a public statue, preferably in the local [[Forum (Roman)|forum]] or the grounds of a [[Roman temple|temple]] was an important confirmation of status, and these sites filled up with statues on [[plinth]]s (mostly smaller than those of their 19th century equivalents).  Fragments in Rome of a [[bronze colossus of Constantine]] and the marble [[colossus of Constantine]] show the enormous scale of some imperial statues; other examples are recorded, notably one of [[Nero]].

The [[wonders of the world]] include several statues from antiquity, with the [[Colossus of Rhodes]] and the [[Statue of Zeus at Olympia]] among the [[Seven Wonders of the Ancient World]].

===Middle Ages===
While sculpture generally flourished in European [[Medieval art]], the single statue was not one of the most common types, except for figures of the [[Virgin Mary]], usually with Child, and the ''corpus'' or body of Christ on [[crucifix]]es.  Both of these appeared in all size up to life-size, and by the late [[Middle Ages]] many churches, even in villages, had a crucifixion group around a [[rood cross]].  The [[Gero Cross]] in [[Cologne]] is both one of the earliest and finest large figures of the crucified Christ.  As yet, full-size standing statues of saints and rulers were uncommon, but [[tomb effigy|tomb effigies]], generally lying down, were very common for the wealthy from about the 14th century, having spread downwards from royal tombs in the centuries before.

While [[Byzantine art]] flourished in various forms, sculpture and statue making witnessed a general decline; although statues of emperors continued to appear.<ref name=Byz>''Byzantine Art'' by Charles Bayet (1 October 2009) {{ISBN|1844846202}} page 54</ref> An example was the statue of [[Justinian]] (6th century) which stood in the square across from the [[Hagia Sophia]] until the [[fall of Constantinople]] in the 15th century.<ref name=Byz/> Part of the decline in statue making in the Byzantine period can be attributed to the mistrust the Church placed in the art form, given that it viewed sculpture in general as a method for making and [[idolatry|worshiping idols]].<ref name=Byz/> While making statues was not subject to a general ban, it was hardly encouraged in this period.<ref name=Byz/> Justinian was one of the last Emperors to have a full-size statue made, and secular statues of any size became virtually non-existent after [[Byzantine iconoclasm|iconoclasm]]; and the artistic skill for making statues was lost in the process.