When in the early centuries of the Christian era the Huns made their irruption into Europe, they apparently possessed a knowledge of the Swastika. They settled in certain towns of northern Italy, drove off the inhabitants, and occupied the territory for themselves. On the death of Attila and the repulse of the Huns and their general return to their native country, many small tribes remained and gradually became assimilated with the population. They have remained in northern Italy under the title of Longobards. In this Longobardian civilization or barbarism, whichever we may call it, and in their style of architecture and ornament, the Swastika found a prominent place, and is spoken of as Longobardian.
It is needless to multiply citations of the Swastika in Roman and Christian times. It would appear as though the sign had descended from the Etruscans and Samnites along the coast and had continued in use during Roman times. Schliemann says[199] that it is found frequently in the wall paintings at Pompeii; even more than a hundred times in a house in the recently excavated street of Vesuvius. It may have contested with the Latin cross for the honor of being the Christian cross, for we know that the St. Andrew’s cross in connection with the Greek letter P ([fig. 6]) did so, and for a long time stood as the monogram of Christ and was the Labarum of Constantine. All three of these are on the base of the Archiepiscopal chair in the cathedral at Milan.[200]
| Fig. 194. POTTERY VASE ORNAMENTED WITH BRONZED NAIL HEADS IN FORM OF SWASTIKA. Este, Italy. Matériaux pour l’Histoire Primitive et Naturelle de l’Homme, 1884, p. 14. | Fig. 195. FRAGMENT OF POTTERY WITH SWASTIKA STAMPED IN RELIEF. |
Fig. 196.
STAMP FOR MAKING SWASTIKA SIGN ON POTTERY.
Swiss lake dwelling of Bourget, Savoy.
Musée de Chambéry.
Chantre, “Age du Bronze,” figs. 53, 55,
and Keller, “Lake Dwellings of Europe,” pl. 161, fig. 3.
Swiss lake dwellings.—Figs. [195] and [196] are interesting as giving an insight into the method of making the sign of the Swastika. [Fig. 195] shows a fragment of pottery bearing a stamped intaglio Swastika (right), while [fig. 196] represents the stamp, also in pottery, with which the imprint was made. They are figured by Keller,[201] and are described on page 339, and by Chantre.[202] They were found in the Swiss lake dwelling of Bourget (Savoy) by the Duc de Chaulnes, and are credited to his Museum of Chambéry.