Homo sapiens and craft are of the same age; it is based on conscious use of the exterior materials scientists can determine the level of development in a particular historical period. The craft began with stone, having existed in various ways of finding and splitting pieces of rock for about a million years until the simplest woodworking joined them in the form of breaking and processing sticks and tying them to a stone with a vine. As a result, there were craftsmen making stone axes and spears. This insufficient technological knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation, sometimes losing its power.
History knows many crises, and each time the resolution of the accumulated contradictions requires from society and culture a relatively quick reaction and concentration of great efforts for intensive adaptation. Stone walls served as protection from atmospheric agents, and performed soundproofing and many other functions. With time, people began to use brickwork made of ceramic stones and large artificial blocks in the construction of buildings, sawn and hewn natural stones of the correct shape.
In the conditions of mass production, the stonemasonry, it would seem, should have finally disappeared. Nonetheless, it was able to survive in certain areas and acquire broader development prospects. In the 19th century, the spirituality and individuality of handicraft products were actively opposed to soulless factory goods of mass production and consumption. Throughout the Industrial Revolution, crafts were preserved in corners remote from industrial centers in the form of hobbies and arts. The modern carpenters maintain in their workshops dozens of machine tools that facilitate the production process without depriving the results of craftsmen’s individuality and creative message.
On this account, progress has filled and enriched crafts, expanding the capabilities of masters, freeing them from monotonous and ineffective operations, and expanding the scope for true creativity. The stone has served man for many millennia and became man a means of knowing the world. It was an instrument of labor, and protection, and most importantly, made it possible to live in stone caves. Thus, masonry has become a kind of impetus in the progressive development of humankind, finding its place and purpose.