A brief History of Stone carving
The history of stone carving dates to
periods of time that go back before recorded history. These
civilizations built vast cities, majestic temples and palaces and
filled them with their history and beliefs carved in stone. In facct
The oldest known works of representational art are stone carvings.
Prehistoric figurines such as the Venus of Berekhat Ram may be as much
as 800,000 years old. These early examples of stone carving are the
result of hitting or scratching a softer stone with a harder one,
although sometimes more resilient materials such as antlers are known
to have been used for relatively soft stone.
The Incas were known for their
ceremonial fortresses built of stone. The enormous, irregularly shaped
stones, weighing many tons, were cut with such high precision that a
razor blade can not be inserted between them. The Aztecs are another
good example. In 1790, in Mexico City, a 24 ton disk known as the
Calendar stone was discovered and gained recognition as the
outstanding artefact of the Aztec civilization. The Mayans also used
stone to express culture and beliefs. They were especially known for
their pyramids.
Prior to the discovery of steel, most
stone carving was carried out by using an abrasion technique,
following rough hewing of the stone block using hammers. The reason
for this is that bronze, the hardest available metal until steel, is
not hard enough to work any but the softest stone. The development of
iron made possible stone carving tools, such as chisels, drills and
saws made from steel, that were capable of being hardened and tempered
to a state hard enough to cut stone without deforming, while not being
so brittle as to shatter. Carving tools have changed little since
then.
The Egyptians are probably the best known stone carvers of all with
their massive pyramids. They used stone carving to express themselves
in all sorts of ways. The works of Egyptian artists and sculptors
served practical purposes. Every aspect of life was entwined with
their religion and the statues that decorate the temples, all carved
in stone represented this and linked the people to their gods.
Celtic Christianity is also a good example of stone carving as seem in
the Cross here.
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