In der Nikomachischen Ethik erwähnt Aristoteles, dass Bildhauer der Insel Lesbos Lineale aus flexiblem Blei verwenden anstatt aus starrem Eisen - um geschwungene Linien in den Stein zu schneiden.
In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle pointed to the use by sculptors on the island of Lesbos of rulers made from flexible lead – rather than rigid iron – for cutting curved lines in stone.