Stool, armless and backless seat for one person. Folding stools with skin or fabric seats and solid framed stools with wood or rush seats were known to the Egyptians, the early Greeks and Romans, and the Vikings. These stools were supported on four straight legs or on four legs arranged crosswise—the “X” stool. Most variations of stool construction have been reflected either in the padded or hard top or in the support decorations.