Stone cutting is an old craft, used for purely practical purposes at first — stones were a great building material.
Of course, some of the monuments dating back to the ancient society include mounds and stone circles to remember the dead. Some stones, featuring carved symbols — the sun, the moon, stars, horseshoes or grass snakes — are related to the old Lithuanian religion. Improving tools expanded stone use opportunities: people started building homes, farm buildings, churches, paved streets, fences, stone crosses, etc. Also, stone tombstones in graveyards. The craft used to be very risky. In order to split a large stone, stone carvers had to use explosives and explosives were nowhere to be found, so rural craftsmen used to make them (usually potassium chlorate) by themselves. Organised stone carving courses were introduced only in the early 20th century. These also included safety instructions and participants received certificates, which enabled them to legally purchase TNT or gunpowder. Each stone carver had to have his own tools. The metal parts of drove chisels and hammers used to be made by a blacksmith.