The origins of sculpture

Athens, 2023. In English. Soft cover, 24x32 cm, 276 pp., ill.; net weight 1700 gr. ISBN: 978-960-476-325-2.

The aesthetic awakening began long before the emergence of Homo sapiens and is associated with human ancestral species, who produced tools in line with the Acheulian technical tradition. Within this tradition, symbolic expression can be detected through the intentional modification of the rock to create teardrop and spherical shapes. For the first time, symmetry, the selection of impressive rocks, and, occasionally, the production of sharp edges around a central reference point, inherent in the raw material -a fossil or a crystalline flaw- can be seen in the handaxe, the iconic Acheulian tool. The exhibition is based on the exhibition organized by the Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, in 2018. In addition to the original exhibits, the Athenian exhibition also includes stone tools from Lesbos, brought to light thanks to the archaeological research carried out by the University of Crete, as well as other tools recovered from Paleolithic sites in Eurasia and Africa. Finally, the exhibition highlights hominins' intention to identify patterns and figures in rocks encountered in nature, which they then carried back to their homebases. Built upon these three pillars - handaxes, Lesbos artifacts, and figure stones - the exhibition introduces the audience to Paleolithic heritage, opening the floor for a 'discussion' between Aegean archaeological finds and early Paleolithic finds from Europe, Africa, and Asia, namely, the Old World. It is the first time they have been showcased in Greece.