Since old times the people trusted in supernatural forces, kind and evil spirits, Angels and Demons and in a huge number of gods. Some people presented the gods in the form of animals, others – in the form of humanoids. From a tree, a stone, clay or precious metals they created images (more often than a figure) a divine being. These figures, totems, gods are called idols.
At the beginning of a civilization of the concept "idol" did not exist. The person just trusted, and figurines represented any given deity. I.e. idols were some kind of icons on which people prayed. To these images handled the words of gratitude, requests for the help, protection or punishment. With arrival of monotheism the term "idol" appeared. Several mentions of idols can be found in the Old Testament. At Jews this word carried scornful and extremely negative coloring, it meant worship of others deity. One of ten precepts says "Do not create to yourself an idol" this manual belongs including to creation of man-made deities. Images the Torah and Odina for Scandinavians, Vaal for Babylonians, Perun and Rod at Slavs, Osiris, Ra and Anubis in ancient Egypt, statues of Zeus and other Greek gods are considered as the most known idols of antiquity. Later - idols of Cali, Shiva, Krishna, Christ's statue. Materials for production of idols were chosen various. In Egypt, for example, most often used gold and granite. Greeks – marble, Slavs mainly a tree. Aboriginals of the American continent - gold, silver, platinum, nephrite and even basalt. During a planting era worldwide of Catholicism (crusades, inquisition), and later many idols were destroyed by the Spanish conquistadors. Together with "foreign" gods also "others" cultures perished. And now archeologists on particles collect history. And idols, idols and gods stopped being symbols of someone's beliefs, they are stored in the museums, being heritage of all mankind. In modern culture an idol – a concept more abstract, it is applicable to any blind worship, any cult, any idolization. So for millions of people of the Soviet Union Lenin, and after it Stalin was an idol and an idol. For Germans Hitler, for the French – Napoleon was at the time an idol. This concept with development of the musical industry "was even more modernized". An idol or an idol it is possible to call any of bottoms now - or a rock star. Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Michael Jackson and many others were such idols.