When Were Cupules Made?

Cupules were no doubt made very early, beginning with the upper Acheulian of India, on current indication perhaps some time between 400,000 and 200,000 years ago. But it would be very wrong to draw the simplistic conclusion from this evidence that this was a tradition that produced only, or primarily, cupules.

Where do Cupules occur?

In Middle Paleolithic or Middle Stone Age contexts, cupules occur in Africa and Australia, and are attributable to that era also in Europe. They seem to become less common in the course of the European Upper Paleolithic, but still occur occasionally.

What is the date of the earliest known sculptures?

The oldest figurative sculpture is the mammoth ivory carving known as the Lion Man of the Hohlenstein Stadel (38,000 BCE). This is one of several Aurignacian carved figures from the series of ivory carvings of the Swabian Jura, dating from 33,000 BCE, which were recently discovered in southwestern Germany.