In this section we take all the animal representations in stone that can be found in Asia. Indeed animals have a strong importance in Asia whether in the form of protection like the sacred cow in India, or in the form of proof of wealth with the buffalo in Indonesia or purely decorative like the horse. They all have their importance over the centuries and parts of Asia.

The oldest known art forms are stone carvings. Initially, they were often directly carved in the rock. Before the discovery of steel, all stone carvings were made using an abrasion technique, which consisted of roughly cutting a block of stone with a hammer. The main reason is that bronze, which was the hardest metal available until the arrival of steel, was not strong enough. The development of iron made possible the creation of tools intended for stone carving, such as chisels, drills and saws made from steel, which could be hardened to become hard enough to cut stone without deform.