The swastika is one of the oldest recorded symbols and has been common worldwide for millennia. Throughout the ages, it has had much significance in many aspects of life: cultural, religious, artistic, and political.
In line with Aryanist theory, the cultures which have historically been the most strongly associated with the swastika have tended to be agricultural societies. During the Neolithic Revolution, the invention of farming introduced new selective pressures on humans, giving rise to the evolutionary and cultural conditions allowing for the development of societies with noble (i.e. Aryan) character traits. It is from this shared evolutionary pressure that ethnically dissimilar populations across the globe qualitatively converged towards Aryan character traits, while ethnically similar populations experiencing different selective pressures qualitatively diverged. In other words, being an Aryan is about the QUALITY of one's character, not about ethnicity.
Based on our research, the earliest documented examples of swastikas are found in the Fertile Crescent, dating back to approximately 6000 BC. Likely by no coincidence, the Fertile Crescent is considered one of the most ancient cradles of agriculture. In the following millennia, the swastika appeared throughout the Old World, likely driven by a combination of diffusion and independent invention. In the New World, the swastika independently emerged and became prevalent in farming societies in both North and South America.
Although the swastika had been in use continuously since the Neolithic era, in Western nations its usage seems to have largely declined with the onset of the Renaissance. Nevertheless, in Western nations the swastika gained a vast resurgence in popularity after the rediscovery of Troy (Hisarlik) in the late 1800s. The discovery of this long-lost mythical city attracted considerable interest from the public, and pictures of its artifacts showing numerous swastikas piqued the public's interest in this symbol. This interest led to some academics and political movements to begin developing a consciousness which contradicted the Renaissance-inspired concept of "Western civilization", eventually culminating with the National Socialist movement explicitly expressing unity among ethnically-dissimilar populations across the globe on the basis of shared use of the swastika and other Aryan traits.
For the past 90 years, however, the symbol has become infamous and taboo in some parts of the world. Despite an entire lifetime passing since the end of WWII, the swastika remains illegal in many nations in the Western world. Ignorance has crept in and the general public now understands very little of the history and meaning of the swastika. Even worse, professional academics in the US and EU have done little to correct this ignorance and often attempt to impose their fear and hatred of the swastika onto non-Western cultures instead...
In contrast, for billions of people living in non-Western nations the swastika has retained its popularity and meaning as a positive and sometimes sacred symbol. For example, the swastika (manji) has even become a popular slang referring to current Japanese youth culture! Yet, it remains taboo in the English-speaking world and other areas where post-WWII Western culture has been influential, due to its abuse by Neo-Nazis and other toxic tribalists.
It is time to take back the swastika from racists. Through this series of articles demonstrating the worldwide use and ancient history of the swastika, we will reclaim it as an authentically Aryan symbol once and for all.
The Swastika, the Earliest Known Symbol, by Thomas Wilson (1896)
The first English-language treatise on the worldwide distribution of swastikas was published by Thomas Wilson in 1896. It has been so influential that countless blogs still circulate variations of his 125-year-old map in their numerous articles on swastikas. Needless to say, any examination of the swastika's history would be incomplete without paying respects to the groundwork laid out by his study. His work (with images and commentary on the artifacts) can be found below:
Thomas Wilson: The Swastika, the Earliest Known Symbol (1896).
https://aryan-anthropology.blogspot.com/p/thomas-wilson-swastika-earliest-known.html
Blog post for discussion/comments on Wilson's work.
https://aryan-anthropology.blogspot.com/2020/10/thomas-wilson-swastika-earliest-known.html
Geographic examination of the swastika
While Wilson's work was groundbreaking, it is outdated in light of 125 years of new archaeological discoveries. We aim to carry on where he left off, to further demonstrate the use of the swastika by countless cultures around the globe.
African Swastikas
https://aryan-anthropology.blogspot.com/p/african-swastikas.html
African Swastikas (discussion post)
https://aryan-anthropology.blogspot.com/2020/10/african-swastikas.html
Native American Swastikas and Swastikas in North and South America
https://aryan-anthropology.blogspot.com/p/native-american-swastikas-and-swastikas.html
Native American Swastikas (discussion post)
https://aryan-anthropology.blogspot.com/2021/04/native-american-swastikas-discussion.html
Swastikas in Oceania, Melanesia, Polynesia, and Micronesia
https://aryan-anthropology.blogspot.com/p/swastikas-in-oceania-melanesia.html
Swastikas in Oceania (discussion post)
https://aryan-anthropology.blogspot.com/2023/11/swastikas-in-oceania-discussion-post.html
Swastikas in East Asia
https://aryan-anthropology.blogspot.com/p/swastikas-in-east-asia.html
Swastikas in East Asia (discussion post)
https://aryan-anthropology.blogspot.com/2023/12/swastikas-in-east-asia-discussion-post.html
Examination of specific artifacts
For a more detailed and rigorous examination of particular artifacts, cultures, etc., see the following articles.
The World's Oldest Swastikas - Swastikas from the Neolithic, Chalcolithic, and Early Bronze Age
https://aryan-anthropology.blogspot.com/p/worlds-oldest-swastikas.html
World's Oldest Swastikas (discussion post)
https://aryan-anthropology.blogspot.com/2021/09/worlds-oldest-swastikas-discussion-post.html
The Mezine carving is NOT a swastika - Debunking the "Mezine swastika"
https://aryan-anthropology.blogspot.com/2020/08/the-mezine-carving-is-not-swastika.html
Debunking the "Turgay triradial swastika" - The Turgay steppe geoglyph is a triskelion, NOT a swastika
https://aryan-anthropology.blogspot.com/2023/07/turgay-triradial-swastka-is-a-triskelion-not-swastika.html
Felix von Luschan, 1890s discussion on swastikas found in Africa
https://aryan-anthropology.blogspot.com/2020/10/felix-von-luschan-1890s-discussion-on-swastikas-in-africa.html
