The first undisputed sculpture pieces came from the Aurignacian culture in Europe and southwest Asia, which was active at the start of the Upper Paleolithic period. This culture developed well-crafted stone tools, pendants, ivory beads, and other form of art. They are also attributed to being the first to create cave art and three-dimensional figures.

The Löwenmensch, found in Germany’s Hohenstein-Stadel area, is an anthropomorphic figure carved from mammoth ivory. It is one of the oldest known uncontested examples of figurative art, standing at 0.9 inches tall. Most prehistoric art that has survived is movable sculptures found throughout central Europe.

The Swimming Reindeer from around 13,000 years ago is one of the greatest Upper Paleolithic Magdalenian bone carvings, however, it is outnumbered by engraved pieces, which are sometimes considered sculptures. The Tuc d’Audoubert caves in France, where a talented sculptor used a spatula-like stone tool and his fingers to build a pair of large bison against a limestone rock tens of thousands of years ago, are home to two of the world’s largest prehistoric sculptures.

Much of the figurative sculpture in Europe at the beginning of the Mesolithic era has been greatly reduced. These sculptures have remained less of a common element in art other than relief decoration of practical objects until the Roman period, despite works such as the Gundestrup cauldron from the European Iron Age and the Bronze Age Trundholm sun chariot.

The Mesopotamian conquest, as well as much of its surrounding territory by the Assyrians, created a larger and wealthier state than was previously usual in the region, with particularly grandiose art in palaces and public places, clearly, an attempt to match the glory of the Egyptian empire art. The Assyrians created their sculptures in great numbers using easily carved stones from Northern Iraq.

Resource: https://nationaltoday.com/international-sculpture-day/