The Swastika, the Earliest Known Symbol, and Its Migration: With Observations on the Migration of Certain Industries in Prehistoric TimesWilson, Thomas
Religion
The Swastika, the Earliest Known Symbol, and Its Migration: With Observations on the Migration of Certain Industries in Prehistoric Times
Wilson, Thomas
Industries, Primitive; Swastikas; Symbolism
_The Greek fret._--This has migrated in the same manner. As to its
invention or origin, we have little to do in the present argument. Whether
the fret was the ancestor or the descendant of the Swastika is of no
moment to our present question. It has been demonstrated in the early part
of this paper that both it and the Swastika had a common existence in
early if not prehistoric Greece, and that both were employed in perfected
form on the same specimen of Archaic Greek pottery. Figs. 133 and 134
demonstrate that these two signs migrated together from Greece to Egypt,
for the particular specimen mentioned was found at Naukratis, Egypt. From
this high antiquity the Greek fret has migrated to practically every
country in the world, and has been employed during all historic time by
the peoples of every civilization. The fret is known historically to have
passed by means of teachers, either through speaking, writing, or drawing,
and never yet a suggestion that its existence or appearance in distant
countries depended upon separate invention or independent discovery.
Why strain at the gnat of independent invention of the Swastika when we
are compelled to swallow the camel of migration when applied to the Greek
fret and architecture? The same proposition of migration applies to Greek
art, whether of sculpture, engraving, or gem carving. These ancient
Grecian arts are as well known in all quarters of the civilized globe at
the present day as they were in their own country, and this was all done
by communication between peoples either through speaking, writing, or
drawing. So far from being separate inventions, the modern sculptor or
engraver, with full historic knowledge of the origin or, at least,
antiquity of these arts, and with an opportunity for inspection and study
of the specimens, is still unable to reproduce them or to invent original
works of so high an order. The imaginary and newly invented theory that
culture is the result of the psychologic nature of man manifesting itself
in all epochs and countries, and among all peoples, by the evolution of
some new discovery made to fit a human need--that as all human needs in a
given stage are the same, therefore all human culture must, _per se_, pass
through the same phases or stages--is a theory to which I refuse adhesion.
It receives a hard blow when we take down the bars to the modern sculptor,
requiring of him neither original invention nor independent discovery, but
permitting him to use, study, adapt, and even servilely copy the great
Greek art works, and we know that with all these opportunities and
advantages he can not attain to their excellence, nor reach their stage of
art culture.
VII.--PREHISTORIC OBJECTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE SWASTIKA, FOUND IN BOTH
HEMISPHERES, AND BELIEVED TO HAVE PASSED BY MIGRATION.
SPINDLE-WHORLS.
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