From Swastika to Circumpunct: Changing Symbols of The Ancient World

From the black swastika in the old Microsoft Word logo, to an ‘all seeing eye’ in the Freemason insignia, ancient symbols are still being used, even if unwittingly, in the modern world. Spirals, triangles and crosses abound, and as societies developed, they took what they liked from other cultures, sometimes resulting in different meanings for the same symbol.

Although the meanings of symbols may change over time and cultures, it seems that there a core set of symbols, which have influenced all those that have followed.

Ankhs, crosses and whorls have all been translated over time, but it's the swastika that has had the most dramatic, and negative, makeover.

Immortality in Ancient Egypt

Representing eternal life, one of the most famous and commonly used Egyptian symbols is the ankh, a cross shaped symbol with a loop at the top – one of its other names is crux ansata, Latin for ‘cross with a handle’. It is also known as the 'key of life' or the 'key of the Nile'. The ankh features in hieroglyphic text and iconographic art all over ancient Egypt with the gods often carrying it by its loop, or bearing one in each hand, arms crossed over their chest. Many Egyptians carried an ankh as an amulet.

Its origins are much debated; Alan Gardiner, who has written extensively on hieroglyphs, suggested it came from the part of a sandal strap called ‘nkh’, but it’s not sure if this name was applied retrospectively because of the similarity in shape. Others have put forward ideas relating to male and female reproductive parts, while some think it represents the sun on the horizon, with the path of the sun before it.

A similar symbol, but with the top loop shaded in has been found in Peru. Used by the Mochica culture circa seventh century AD, the discovery of this symbol is one of the many reasons which have led scholars to believe there was more contact between Mediterranean and pre-Columbian cultures than previously thought.

Celtic Crosses and Whorls

Neolithic Europe also had an eternal life symbol in the form of a Celtic spiral. Single and double spirals are among the most sacred Celtic symbols, appearing on many megalithic monuments all over Europe. The whorls of the spiral are thought to symbolise continuous creation and dissolution of the world with the space (passages) between the spirals symbolising the divisions between life, death, and rebirth.

The threshold stones at Newgrange and other sites in Ireland have well preserved examples.

Some argue too this enduring icon remains with us even today in the form of the Christian cross which in itself has many permutations. This remarkable shape is made of just two intersecting lines. The symbol is used in mathematics, is used as a stop sign, plus it's a kiss at the bottom of a love letter and it's a vote for a politician. The Roman numeral X is ten (decem) as are the Chinese and Japanese characters for ten.

The cross has been used throughout history by different religions, groups and even families such as a Japanese samurai family crest. Throughout the ages it can be seen in many forms; for instance the Solar Cross or Sun Cross features a circle around a cross. Carvings of this symbol have been found on the bases of Bronze-age burial urns, dating back to circa 1440 BC at Southworth Hall Barrow, Cheshire. The symbol also appears on Scandinavian Bronze Age stones depicting the hammer of Thor,

Now it is associated as Christian iconography and many buildings throughout the ancient world, such as Philae, temples in Ephesus and Petra were defaced by the early Christians, who carved crosses onto the walls to ‘Christianise’ them.

One of the origins of the Celtic Cross is also thought to be from Christianising pagans. According to legend St. Patrick created the first Celtic cross by drawing a circle around the point where the lines meet in a Latin cross, thus incorporating the pagan moon goddess symbol. In Celtic regions of Britain many free-standing upright crosses were erected in the 8th century as Christianity spread; one of the best-preserved Celtic crosses is St. Martin's Cross, which stands in front of Iona Abbey.

All in the Eyes

Symbolic eyes played an important part in many ancient cultures with the ‘all seeing eye’ and ‘the evil eye’ both dating back probably as far as civilisation as we know it. The Ancients who live in the Middle East, East and West Africa, South Asia, Central Asia, and Mediterranean regions of Europe had strong beliefs in ‘the evil eye’ and created a range of amulets and symbols to protect the potential unfortunate individual who could be on the receiving end.

The ‘evil eye’ belief spread to other areas, including northern Europe, particularly in the Celtic regions. Latin America also had its own version, with infants often given an amulet bracelet usually with an eye-like spot painted on as protection.

The Egyptian eye of Horus (the Wedjat) and Turkish nazar or göz (a blue circle with a dot in the middle) all are symbolic eyes used to deflect ‘the evil eye’. A blue protective eye can also be found in on some forms of the Hamsa hand, an apotropaic hand-shaped amulet used against the evil eye found in the Middle East. In Jewish culture, the Hamsa is called the Hand of Miriam; in Muslim culture, the Hand of Fatima.

Ridiculed historical fiction writer Dan Brown recently suggested that the ancient and little-known symbol 'circle with a dot in the middle' was the precursor of the masonic symbol - and gave it a new name: the circumpunct.

The Swastika

Ignore the Nazi associations with this symbol, as it has far more pleasant connotations in older civilizations, and doesn’t deserve the bad press it had in recent history. This equilateral cross with arms bent to face either clockwise or anticlockwise is generally recognised as a symbol relating to the sun and it can be found in many places throughout the ancient world.

The swastika became a sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Mithraism and in the western world, has been used throughout ancient Greco-Roman art and architecture and in Bronze Age Europe. In Baltic art, this figure is known as either, Ugunskrusts, the Fire Cross (rotating anticlockwise) or Pērkonkrusts, the "Thunder cross" (rotating clock-wise). This figure was mainly associated with Pērkons, the god of Thunder.

At the Northern edge of Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire there is a swastika-shaped pattern engraved on a stone, which is now known as The Swastika Stone. As the swastika symbol was widely used by the Celts, some think this swastika was carved by one of the Lingones Celts during the Romano-British period.

Images of swastikas can also be found on several church bells in Yorkshire, where they were used as charms to protect against lightning, following in the mythic fashion of Thor. These swastikas date from the 15th century.

Excavations of Mississippian-era sites in the Ohio valley have also revealed the swastika being used by Native Americans. It was widely used by many southwestern tribes, most notably the Navajo although its meaning varied depending on the tribe.

The swastika may be the symbol that has experienced the most dramatic shift in meaning, but it's clear that it is not alone as a shifting shape.

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About The Author

Annie Waddington-Feather (follow me: e-mail or )

Last three pieces by this author:

Battle of the Titans: Ancient Sites vs Mass Tourism | Without Evidence: Atlantis Theories, Slightly More Left of Centre | Travel the Spice Route: Maps and Tips to Plan Your Trip

Annie partly satiated her travel lust and fascination with the ancients as a tour leader for an adventure travel company. She now lives in Australia and writes for a number of publications ranging from travel and martial arts to insurance and finance trade.