History of Swastika
Pottery of Minoan culture from Crete. Minoan civilization blossomed between 3000 and 1100 BC.
Swastika from Roman mosaic, 2nd century AD.
Swastika sign in Nata-Dera temple, Japan
From Sikan/Lambayeque civilization in Peru, which flourished in 730-1375 AD.
Ancient Macedonian helmet with swastika signs discovered in
Herculaneum, 350-325 BC.
Buddha statue with swastika symbol on his breast from island Lantau, Hong Kong
3000-year-old necklace, discovered in region Rasht, Iran
Pilot Matilde Moisant (1878-1964) wore a medallion with swastika in 1912; the symbol was popular among early aviators as a good luck charm
Mandala-like swastika composed of Hebrew letters and surrounded by a circle and a mystical hymn in Aramaic, discovered in Cabbalistic work “Parashat Eliezer” by Rabbi Eliezer ben Isaac Fischel of Strizhov, 18th century
Mycenaean “doll” of the Bronze Age with images of people, solar signs and swastika
Swastika on a silver Greek coin from Corinth, 6th century BC
Golden measure of weight used by Akan tribes from Ghana, for example, by the Ashanti people, to weigh gold
Mosaic swastika in an excavated Byzantine church in Shavei Tzion, Israel
Bone Comb with swastika, found in Nydam Mose, pictured in a book of the 19th century. Nydam Mosefund. The territory of Nydam Mose, also known as Nydam Bog, is a site of archaeological excavations near Sønderborg, Denmark. During the excavations, many finds were made dating from 200-400 AD
“Iron Man” sculpture. The 1000-year-old statue of Buddha from Tibet was cut from meteorite stone that fell to the Earth approximately 15 thousand years ago
The earliest known swastika, carved on ivory (mammoth’s tusk), was found in Ukraine. The artefact dates from the 10th millennium BC.
The meaning of swastika was positive for thousands of years, but Adolph Hitler usurped it in the 20th century, and from that time it was associated with tragedy, death, and destruction. This symbol was not found in one ancient civilization only, but in many civilizations around the whole world, which points to the fact that it is intrinsically related to mankind and human culture.
The Aztec and Maya people used this symbol on burial mounds, clothing, and jewellery. In Europe these symbols can be found in Roman catacombs, in churches, on squares’ cobblestones, and tombs. The word “swastika” has its origin in Sanskrit: “swa” means “Supreme I,” “asti” means “being, existence”, and “ka” is a suffix. The meaning of the word can be understood as the “supreme being.”