Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Löwenmensch sculpture was created between the 35th and 40th millennium before the present and was discovered in the Hohlenstein Stadel cave in Germany. This artifact stands as the oldest undisputed example of sculpture in the world and is carved from woolly mammoth ivory.
Ancient Greek and Roman statues were not originally pure white marble but were painted in vibrant colors. The Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek Museum in Copenhagen has conducted extensive research revealing that the Parthenon Marbles and countless other classical works were originally painted, a practice that was standard across the ancient Mediterranean.
Sculptors gained the status of genius artists rather than skilled tradespeople during the Renaissance when Michelangelo and his contemporaries entered the circle of princes and nobility. Before this period, figures like Phidias retained the social status of other artisans with financial rewards rarely greater than those of a carpenter or a mason.
The style of sculpture changed from the rigid, stylized figures of the Archaic period to the dynamic, naturalistic poses of the Classical era. The kouros statues of the 6th century BCE with their archaic smiles and forward-striding poses gave way to the asymmetrical turning positions and oblique views of the High Classical period.
Materials such as wood, ivory, and soft fabrics were used in sculpture but have largely perished over time due to decay, insect damage, and fire. The totem pole tradition of the Pacific Northwest and the great wooden crucifixes of medieval Germany have left few traces, while the climate of Egypt allowed wood to survive over millennia.