Swastika on roman army shields/gear

[Decius]

as seen on the scutum from dura europos:


had this any special meaning?
since when is there evidence for the use of this symbol?

celtic or eastern (european) influence?

[LUCIUS ALFENUS AVITIANUS]

I think it's a representation of the sun. It's curious, in Dura Europos have been found some fibulae in form of a svastika.

[Metalstrm]

Yes, I've seen it somewhere else too. In some marble decoration if I'm not mistaken. I'll try and locate the picture.

[le Cavalier Invisible]

Hm I know merovingian and viking reenactors use this symbol too.. (usually a hidden version :wink: ) Some people say it's some kind of fertility symbol.. :?
That's all I know about it so far.. :roll: :lol:

Greetz,

[Decius]

it seems that the swastika is known in various cultures for thousands of yeasrs...
mesopotamia, krete (3500 bc) , buddishm/hinduishm, celtic tribes and also ancient rome.

mosaic floor from herculaneum:

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:FuBbo ... laneum.jpg

[Metalstrm]

As noted, the Swastika always had a connection with religious rites and the Sun:





http://www.odinic-rite.org/fylfot.html

The above site has some info on the use of the Swastika within ancient ries and modern Odinism.

[Decius]

on a wbsite I read that it also was a symbol of luck. that would make sense on a scutum...

[le Cavalier Invisible]

on a website I read that it also was a symbol of luck. that would make sense on a scutum...

Luck is useful indeed in a battle!
(However, I wouldn't complain if the swastika would turn into a big shiny sun, I mean, it could be very useful to blind(or burn :twisted: ) the enemy! 8) )

Greetz,

[M. Demetrius]

Some Amerindian tribes used the same symbol. It's an easy geometric to come up with. Some are pointing to the right, some to the left.

Through one instance only, as far as I know, has it come to have such a negative meaning as today. Unfortunate, but true, nevertheless.

[Neuraleanus]

since when is there evidence for the use of this symbol?

Besides the famous scutum from Dura, the milites at Dura had Swastikas on their tunics and many shoe soles have been found at Mainz nailed in Swastika patterns.

[Salvianus]

One of the hunting figures on the early C4th Piazza Armerina mosaic:

http://www2.brevard.edu/reynoljh/italy/ ... e1_jpg.htm

it's reconstructed by Sumner in Roman Military Clothing 2.

The symbol's appearance as a fibula suggests a generalised good luck symbol to me, if anything at all: it is a basic geometric symbol after all, often seen combined as part as key pattern borders.

[le Cavalier Invisible]

One of the hunting figures on the early C4th Piazza Armerina mosaic:

http://www2.brevard.edu/reynoljh/italy/ ... e1_jpg.htm

Website doesn't work for me.. :?

[Salvianus]

Website doesn't work for me.. :?

RMC 2 is on Google books?

Google says:

http://www.raingod.com/angus/Gallery/Ph ... aico02.jpg

[john m roberts]

Carl Sagan, in his book "Comet," theorizes that the image of the swastika may have come from the appearance of a large comet venting gas from four spots on its surface. Since comets rotate it would appear as a spiral-armed swastika. As evidence he presents an ancient Chinese book on the interpretation of comets as omens, which shows just such a comet. He stresses that all the most ancient depictions of the swastika have curved arms, not angular. Those come later. Also, he notes that the symbol is widespread in the northern hemisphere even on different continents, but is unknown from the southern, arguing for a comet visible in the northern hemisphere only. It's an interesting proposition, anyway.

[Robert Vermaat]

Guys, we had loong talks about the swastika before:

here