The Swastika Part 8

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 52. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH TWO OGEE SWASTIKAS.

Depth, 33 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1876.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 53. SPINDLE-WHORL WITH FOUR SWASTIKAS. Depth, 33 feet.

De Mortillet, "Musee Prehistorique," fig. 1240.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 54. SPINDLE-WHORL WITH ONE SWASTIKA. Depth, 33 feet.

De Mortillet, "Musee Prehistorique," fig. 1241.]

_The Fourth City_ (13.2 to 17.6 feet deep).--Schliemann says:[144]

We find among the successors of the burnt city the same triangular idols; the same primitive bronze battle-axes; the same terra-cotta vases, with or without tripod feet; the same double-handled goblets ([Greek: sepa amphikupella]); the same battle-axes of jade, porphyry, and diorite; the same rude stone hammers, and saddle querns of trachyte. * * * The number of rude stone hammers and polished stone axes are fully thrice as large as in the third city, while the ma.s.ses of sh.e.l.ls and c.o.c.kles acc.u.mulated in the debris of the houses are so stupendous that they baffle all description. The pottery is coa.r.s.er and of a ruder fabric than in the third city. * * * There were also found in the fourth city many needles of bone for female handiwork, boar tusks, spit rests of mica schist, whetstones of slate, porphyry, etc., of the usual form, hundreds of small silex saws, and some knives of obsidian. Stone whorls, which are so abundant at Mycenae, are but rarely found here; all of those which occur are, according to Mr.

Davis, of steat.i.te. On the other hand, terra-cotta whorls, with or without incised ornamentation, are found by thousands; their forms hardly vary from those in the third (the burnt) city, and the same may be generally said of their incised ornamentation. * * * The same representation of specimens of whorls are given as in the third city, and the same observations apply.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 55. CONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH THREE OGEE SWASTIKAS.

Depth 13-1/2 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1850.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 56. CONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH FOUR SWASTIKAS OF VARIOUS KINDS. Depth 13-1/2 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1879.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 57. CONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH SWASTIKAS. Depth.

13-1/3 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1894.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 58. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH ONE SWASTIKA. Depth, 13-1/2 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1983.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 59. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH THREE OGEE SWASTIKAS.

Depth, 13-1/2 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1990.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 60. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH TWO SWASTIKAS. Depth, 16-1/2 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1863.]

Fig. 55 shows a simple cone, the upper surface being flat and without other decoration than three Swastikas equidistant from the hole and from each other, all made by the two crossed ogee lines with ends curved to the right. This specimen is much like that of Fig. 71 (Madam Schliemann collection in the U. S. National Museum, Cat. No. 149704). Fig. 56 shows a remarkable spindle-whorl. Its marks greatly excited the interest of Dr.

Schliemann, and he devoted much s.p.a.ce to the discussion of these and similar characters. The whorl is in the form of a cone. It bears upon its conical surface four Swastikas, the ends of three of which bend to the right and one to the left. There are but two of these ends which bend at right angles. Most of them are at an obtuse angle, while the ends of two are curved. Some taper to a point and finish with a slight flourish. The other marks which so interested Dr. Schliemann were the chevron ornament (zigzag), drawn in parallel lines, which, he strongly argued, and fortified with many authorities, represented lightning. The second series of marks he called a "burning altar." This a.s.sertion he also fortified with authorities and with ill.u.s.trations of a similar sign from different countries. (See fig. 101.) The third series of marks represented an animal, name and character unknown, with a head or tusks with two large branching horns or ears, a straight back, a stiff but drooping tail, four legs, and two rows of the remarkable dots--seven in one, six in the other--placed over the back of the animal. (See figs. 99 and 100.) Fig. 57 represents another cone-shaped whorl, the flat surface of which is engraved with one perfect Swastika, the two arms crossing each other at right angles and the two ends bending at right angles to the right; the other two are curved, also to the right. Two of the other figures Dr.

Schliemann calls Swastikas, although they are uncertain in some of their arms and angles. The fourth character he imagined to be an inchoate or attempted Swastika. Fig. 58 shows a biconical whorl with curious and inexplicable characters. One of them forms a crude Swastika, which, while the main arms cross at right angles the ends are bent at uncertain angles, three to the left and one to the right. These characters are so undetermined that it is doubtful if they could have had any signification, either ornamental or otherwise. Fig. 59 is almost conical, the flat surface thereof being only slightly raised at the center. It is much the same form as the whorls shown in figs. 55 and 71. The nearly flat surface is the top, and on it, equidistant from the center hole and from each other, are three ogee Swastikas of double lines, with their ends all curved to the right. In the alternate s.p.a.ces are small incised circles, with dots in the centers. In fig. 60 a biconical whorl is shown. It has three of the circle segments marked in equilateral positions, with three or four parallel lines, after the style shown in Fig. 54. In the s.p.a.ces are two Swastikas, in both of which the two main arms cross at right angles. Some of the ends bend at a right, and others at an obtuse, angle.

In one of the Swastikas the bent ends turn toward each other, forming a rude figure 8. The specimen shown in fig. 61 is biconical, but much flattened; it contains five ogee Swastikas, of which the ends of four bend to the right and one to the left. In an interval between them is one of the burning altars. Fig. 62 shows three Swastikas with double parallel lines. The main arms cross each other at right angles; the ends are bent at nearly right angles, one to the left, one to the right, and the other both ways. Fig. 63 represents a spindle-whorl with a cup-shaped depression around the central hole, which is surrounded by three lines in concentric circles, while on the field, at 90 degrees from each other, are four ogee Swastikas (tetraskelions), the arms all turning to the left and spirally each upon itself. The specimen shown in fig. 64 is biconical, though, as usual, the upper cone is the smallest. There are parallel lines, three in a set, forming the segments of three circles, in one s.p.a.ce of which appears a Swastika of a curious and unique form, similar to that shown in fig. 60. The two main arms cross each other at very nearly right angles and the ends also bend at right angles toward and approaching each other, so that if continued slightly farther they would close and form a decorative figure 8. The specimen shown in fig. 65 is decorated with parallel lines, three in number, arranged in segments of three circles, the periphery of which is toward the center, as in figs. 60 and 64. In one of the s.p.a.ces is a Swastika of curious form; the main arms cross each other at right angles, but the four ends represent different styles--two are bent square to the left, one square to the right, and the fourth curves to the left at no angle. Fig. 66 shows a biconical whorl, and its top is decorated to represent three Swastikas and three burning altars.

The ends of the arms of the Swastikas all bend to the left, some are at right angles and some at obtuse angles, while two or three are curved; two of them show corrections, the marks at the ends having been changed in one case at a different angle and in another from a straight line to a curve.

Fig. 67 shows four specimens of Swastika, the main arms of all of which cross at right angles. The ends all bend to the right, at nearly right angles, tapering to a point and finis.h.i.+ng with the slight flourish noted in the Jain Swastika (fig. 34_c_). They are alternated with a chevron decoration. Fig. 68 shows three Swastikas, the ends of the arms of which are all bent to the left. One Swastika is composed of two ogee lines. Two arms of another are curved, but all others are bent at right angles, some of them tapering to points, finis.h.i.+ng with a little flourish (figs. 67 and 34_c_). One of these ends, like that in fig. 66, has been corrected by the maker. Fig. 69 represents one Swastika in which the main arms cross at nearly right angles. Both ends of one arm turn to the left and those of the other arm turn to the right in figure 8 style. One of the ends is curved, the others bent at different angles. Fig. 70 shows the parallel lines representing segments of a circle similar to figs. 60, 64, 65, and 69, except that it has four instead of three. It has one Swastika; the main arms (of double lines) cross at right angles, the ends all curving to the left with a slight ogee.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 61. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH FIVE OGEE SWASTIKAS.

Depth, 18 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1905.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 62. SPINDLE-WHORL WITH THREE SWASTIKAS. Depth, 19.8 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1855.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 63. SPINDLE-WHORL HAVING FOUR OGEE SWASTIKAS WITH SPIRAL VOLUTES. Depth, 18 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1868.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 64. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH ONE SWASTIKA. Depth, 19.8 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1865.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 65. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH ONE SWASTIKA. Depth, 19.8 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios", fig. 1866.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 66. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH THREE SWASTIKAS AND THREE BURNING ALTARS. Depth, 19.8 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios", fig. 1872.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 67. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH FOUR SWASTIKAS.

Depth, 19.8 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1873.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 68. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH THREE SWASTIKAS OF DIFFERENT STYLES. Depth, 19.8 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1911.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 69. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH ONE SWASTIKA OF THE FIGURE-8 STYLE. Depth, 19.8 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1861.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 70. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH ONE SWASTIKA, SLIGHT OGEE. Depth, 19.8 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1864.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 71. CONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH THREE OGEE SWASTIKAS.

Depth, 13.5 feet. Gift of Madame Schliemann, Cat. No. 149704, U. S. N. M.]

The U. S. National Museum was, during 1893, the fortunate recipient of a collection of objects from Madame Schliemann, which her husband, before his death, had signified should be given to the United States as a token of his remembrance of and regard for his adopted country. He never forgot that he was an American citizen, and, preparing for death, made his acknowledgments in the manner mentioned. The collection consisted of 178 objects, all from ancient Troy, and they made a fair representation of his general finds. This collection is in the Department of Prehistoric Anthropology. In this collection is a spindle-whorl, found at 13-1/2 feet (4 meters) depth and belonging to the fourth city. It had three Swastikas upon its face, and is here shown as fig. 71.[145]

_The Fifth City._--Schliemann says:[146]

The rude stone hammers found in enormous quant.i.ties in the fourth city are no longer found in this stratum, nor did the stone axes, which are so very abundant there, occur again here. Instead of the hundreds of axes I gathered in the fourth city, I collected in all only two here.

* * * The forms of the terra-cotta whorls, too, are in innumerable instances different here. These objects are of a much inferior fabric, and become elongated and pointed. Forms of whorls like Nos. 1801, 1802, and 1803 [see figs. 72, 73, and 74], which were never found before, are here plentiful.

_The Sixth and Seventh Cities._--The sixth city is described in "Ilios,"

page 587, and the seventh on pages 608 and 618. Both cities contained occasional whorls of clay, all thoroughly baked, without incised or painted ornamentation, and shed no further light on the Swastika.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Figs. 72, 73, 74. FORMS OF WHORLS FROM THE FIFTH BURIED CITY OF HISSARLIK, FOR COMPARISON. Schliemann, "Ilios," figs. 1801, 1802, 1803.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 75. TERRA-COTTA SPHERE WITH THIRTEEN SWASTIKAS. Third city. Depth, 26 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," figs. 245, 246.]

Fig. 75 represents the opposite hemispheres of a terra-cotta ball, found at a depth of 26 feet, divided by incised lines into fifteen zones, of which two are ornamented with points and the middle zone, the largest of all, with thirteen specimens of [S] and [Z].

Zmigrodzki says[147] that there were found by Schliemann, at Hissarlik, fifty-five specimens of the Swastika "pure and simple" (pp. 809, 826). It will be perceived by examination that the Swastika "pure and simple"

comprised Swastikas of several forms; those in which the four arms of the cross were at other angles besides right angles; those in which the ends bent at square and other angles to the right; then those to the left (Burnouf and Max Muller's Suavastika); those in which the bends were, some to the right and some to the left, in the same design; where the points tapered off and turned outward with a flourish; where the arms bent at no angle, but were in spirals each upon itself, and turned, some to the right, some to the left. We shall see other related forms, as where the arms turn spirally upon each other instead of upon themselves. These will sometimes have three, five, six, or more arms, instead of four (p. 768).

The cross and the circle will also appear in connection with the Swastika; and other designs, as zigzags (lightning), burning altars, men, animals, and similar representations will be found a.s.sociated with the Swastika, and are only related to it by the a.s.sociation of similar objects from the same locality. A description of their patterns will include those already figured, together with Schliemann's comments as to signification and frequency. They become more important because these related forms will be found in distant countries and among distant peoples, notably among the prehistoric peoples of America. Possibly these designs have a signification, possibly not. Dr. Schliemann thought that in many cases they had. Professor Sayce supported him, strongly inclining toward an alphabetic or linguistic, perhaps ideographic, signification. No opinion is advanced by the author on these theories, but the designs are given in considerable numbers, to the end that the evidence may be fully reported, and future investigators, radical and conservative, imaginative and unimaginative, theorists and agnostics, may have a fair knowledge of this mysterious sign, and an opportunity to indulge their respective talents at length. Possibly these a.s.sociated designs may throw some light upon the origin or history of the Swastika or of some of its related forms.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 76. TERRA-COTTA DISK WITH ONE SWASTIKA. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1849.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 77. SPINDLE-WHORL WITH OGEE SWASTIKA. Third city.

Depth, 23 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1822.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 78. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH IRREGULAR SWASTIKAS AND CROSSES. Fourth city. Depth, 13.6 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig.

1871.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 79. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH UNCERTAIN AND MALFORMED SWASTIKAS. Third city. Depth, 33 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig.

1870.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 80. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH IRREGULAR AND PARTLY FORMED SWASTIKAS HAVING LARGE DOT IN CENTER. Fourth city. Depth, 23 feet.

Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1875.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 81. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL, FLATTENED, WITH TWO SWASTIKAS AND INDEFINITE DECORATION. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig. 1947.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: Fig. 82. BICONICAL SPINDLE-WHORL WITH ONE SWASTIKA AND FOUR SEGMENTS OF CIRCLES. Third city. Depth, 33 feet. Schliemann, "Ilios," fig.

1989.]