Wood carving is one of the oldest arts of humankind. Wooden spears from the Middle Paleolithic, such as the Clacton Spear, reveal how humans have engaged in utilitarian woodwork for millennia. However, given the relatively rapid rate at which wood decays in most environments, there are only isolated ancient artefacts remaining. Figure-work seems to have been universal. To carve a figure/design out of wood may be not only more difficult but the results less satisfactory than sculpting with marble, owing to the tendency of wood to crack, be damaged by insects, or affected by atmospheric changes.