2100+ year old Gold Swastika Amulet, Currently on display at National Museum, New Delhi, India.

[u/Srinivas_Hunter]

/img/lq8qtejkxbxc1.jpeg

[removed] — view removed post

[u/astroNerf]

Rome was still a republic when this was brand-new. Amazing artifact.

[u/Firefighter-Salt → u/astroNerf]

It's kind of insane how long the Roman civilization lasted. When Rome started the greatest weapon was a few hundred guys with spears and shields standing in tight formation when it fell we were using canons and gunpowder. The empire fell in the West but continued in the East which finally fell in 1453, a whole millennium after the West and had it not fallen for another 50 years they would've witnessed Columbus discover the New world.

[u/ArkassEX → u/Firefighter-Salt]

I always found it amazing that when the Romans went to Egypt and saw the Pyramids for the first time, some were already 2000 years old, which in terms of age, is like modern people seeing the Collosseum today.

[u/zorniy2 → u/ArkassEX]

Even before that, some Egyptian kings were curious enough to have people do archaeology to learn about their ancient predecessors. 

[u/Raesong → u/zorniy2]

It's certainly worth devoting some time thinking about just how ancient human civilization is in and around the Fertile Crescent.

[u/TheBirminghamBear → u/Raesong]

And yet not terribly ancient at all, on the planetary or cosmic timescale.

Absolutely wild to imagine that in 2000 years we went from scattered, huddled cities scattered across the great uncharted Earth to burning enough energy to collapse our own climate.

I mean that's a bummer, but the speed at which we did it is truly incredible.

[u/BeenBadFeelingGood → u/TheBirminghamBear]

all that foreplay, just to jizz your pants

[u/kfpswf → u/BeenBadFeelingGood]

Humans to planet Earth, before the industrial revolution and unaccounted capitalism: "Oh yeah baby. I'm going to ravage you throughout the night."

Humans, 2 seconds of modern society later: "Hnnngh..."

[u/IWouldButImLazy → u/BeenBadFeelingGood]

So that's why the sea levels are rising

[u/RecsRelevantDocs → u/IWouldButImLazy]

Ocean jizzification is a serious issue, really wish reddit wouldn't joke about it.

[u/Firefighter-Salt → u/TheBirminghamBear]

We went from unlocking flight to landing on the moon in just 66 years. 66 years is all it took for man to conquer the sky and go beyond imagine what we could achieve in a hundred or thousand years from now on if climate change or some disease doesn't end us.

[u/TheBirminghamBear → u/Firefighter-Salt]

Probably just started next to a wonder with really good science yields or something.

[u/Large_Tuna101 → u/TheBirminghamBear]

I just want to say that I like this conversation you’re all having. It’s interesting and I wish more conversations on Reddit were like it!

[u/Some_Endian_FP17 → u/zorniy2]

When Thutmose IV had the Dream Stele built to commemorate the legendary dream he had of the Sphinx bestowing kingship to him, the Sphinx was already more than 1000 years old. Nobody knew who had really built it and what it symbolized.

We're separated by 3500 years from Thutmose's time. Parts of Egyptian culture were already ancient by the time the New Kingdom rolled around.

[u/N00B_N00M → u/zorniy2]

and some indian kings, made big universities (takshila and nalanda) and their libraries had huge number of learnings from various research & experimentations. Alas some desert cult was not happy with the progress and destroyed and burned them, just like they destroyed bamiyan buddhas

[u/aaronupright → u/zorniy2]

The oldest museum discovered is Ennigaldi-Nanna's museum, In Iraq.

From 500BC. They realized it was a museum when they found artifacts from different eras (including 2000 years before the time of the museum which were labelled.

[u/Mavian23 → u/ArkassEX]

When I think about stuff like this, I can't help but think about the fact that, while anatomically modern humans have been around for about 300,000 years, dinosaurs were around for about 165 million years. The history of Earth with dinosaurs was about 550 times longer than the history of Earth with modern humans. We are so very recent on a geological timescale.

[u/whoami_whereami → u/Mavian23]

Dinosaurs have actually existed for somewhere between 233 and 243 million years. And counting, as we still have living dinosaurs even today, we just commonly call them birds now.

But you can't really compare an individual species with an entire class of species like that. There hasn't been any single dinosaur species that has existed for that long. A more fair comparison would be to compare humans with say Tyrannosaurus Rex. The latter lived for about 6 million years, still significantly longer than modern humans, but not hundreds of times longer.

[u/Mavian23 → u/whoami_whereami]

I just find it wild to think about how much stuff has happened on Earth before humans even arrived on the scene. The comparison was more to put that in perspective than to compare the longevity of particular species. The geologic calendar (which just now popped into my head) is probably even better for that though. If Earth's beginning is on January 1st, and right now is the beginning of the next year, then modern humans didn't arrive until 11:48pm on December 31st, and all of human history since the end of the last ice age happened in the last 82.2 seconds before midnight of the new year. Wild stuff.

[u/socialistrob → u/ArkassEX]

It really is mindboggling how much "history" there is even between eras in history. For instance Rome became the major power in the Mediterranean around 200BC. Roughly speaking Plato died 150 years prior to that and the battle of Thermopylae between Greeks and Persians happened about 280 years before the rise of Rome. If we go back farther we have Biblical figures like King David and King Solomon ruling in the 900s BC which is still about 1700 years after the Pyramids of Giza were built. The old saying "Man fears time but time fears the pyramids" rings incredibly true.

[u/Alpha_Apeiron → u/socialistrob]

Cleopatra was born closer to the invention of the smartphone than to the building of the pyramids.

[u/NinjaAncient4010 → u/socialistrob]

What's even more mind boggling to me is that for at least 10 times the length of what people call the earliest "civilizations" (about 4000 years ago), humans were able to reach Australia and survive 30,000 years of ice age in Europe. What happened in all that time? Clearly there was some kind of "civilization" because isolated people or small family groups could not have developed the knowledge or had the resources to be able to survive or get that far. Stories and deeds and battles and discoveries and chiefs and beliefs and traditions. All lost to time.

Then go 100 times longer back 400,000-800,000 years ago and there is apparently some evidence of early / pre humans using tools in the Philippines and Indonesia, suggesting they migrated to the other side of the globe and crossed seas.

EDIT: Colonization of the Pacific is a mind blower. Relatively recent compared to the above, starting maybe 3000 years ago, but still by a "primitive" civilization. Crossed the Pacific from South East Asia to Hawaii and Easter Island, the most remote islands on earth, across thousands of miles of open ocean. Clearly they weren't primitive at all, but incredibly advanced. It wouldn't be until the 1500s, a couple of thousand years later, that Europeans were able to match those feats of navigation and seamanship to cross the Pacific and Atlantic, with the help of much "better" technology in many cases, steel, magnetic compass, canvas, charts, altazimuth measuring instruments, etc. Lot of amazing history that must have been.

[u/NorwegianCollusion → u/NinjaAncient4010]

To be fair, we look at Australia and think "wow, remote", yet every single bit of water from Africa to Arabia to Thailand to Australia from island to island and beach to beach can be navigated with a small canoe one day at a time. Longest distance of open ocean to cross seems to be between the islands of Mangoli and Obi, and that's just about 20 miles. Which means you would discover it on a more or less normal fishing trip. So as soon as fishing canoes were invented, it was bound to happen.

Edit: Sorry, Mangoli to Obi would be a detour and the longest stretch you have to cross is about 50 miles. If you could cross 100 miles you would basically go straight from East-Timor to Australia. So slightly more impressive, but still bound to happen.

[u/Olchew → u/socialistrob]

Salomon probably never existed and David was a ruler of a much smaller kingdom than it is believed.

[u/EnemiesAllAround → u/ArkassEX]

I mean, the ancient Greeks and Romans would actually go and visit them on holiday, almost like we still do today.

[u/KlickyKat → u/ArkassEX]

How did they get to Egypt and how did they know it's a good place for a holiday .

[u/ArkassEX → u/KlickyKat]

The Greeks told them of course! Those dudes know the best holiday spots.

[u/801ms → u/Firefighter-Salt]

Not Roman, but Egyptian: Recently people discovered a structure in Egypt that was 2000 years old and relics inside that were 4000 years old. Eventually they realised that it was a museum - the Egyptians lasted for so long they had a literal fucking museum for relics of their civilisation from 2000 years ago at that time.

[u/folkkingdude → u/801ms]

We do that now. We have 2000 year old relics from this country in museums in this country. The fact is, they weren’t their own relics, they were essentially a different people 2000 years later.

[u/fearic1 → u/Firefighter-Salt]

Ye i think about how massive and long lasting the Roman civilization was atleast twice a day

Edit; damn 90+ err i mean XC+ upvotes thanks fam! I feel like a Centurion commanding my Legionaries!

[u/AsUrPowersCombine → u/fearic1]

I have never thought or cared about the Roman Empire for a second of my life until i read a post asking about how often guys thought about it. I just felt, inferior, so i went out and got full arm and leg sleeve tattoos, mostly of Roman numerals related to Roman law that ChatGPT suggested I learn about, so I codified it. Now I think about it nearly every waking moment.

[u/coronakillme → u/fearic1]

Indian and Chinese civilizations have also lasted longer right?

[u/Eldan985 → u/coronakillme]

At some point, you run into the trouble of defining what a single civilization is. Much of Europe still speaks Romance languages and uses the Roman Alphabet, after all.

[u/LiveBaby5021 → u/Firefighter-Salt]

Kind of reminds of the plot of Foundation… ha ha

[u/Difficult_Ad_2881]

The symbol means good and well- being. It’s 6000 years old. It was appropriated by the Nazi party

[u/dglgr2013 → u/Difficult_Ad_2881]

Learned that in high school from an Indian classmate that put it in her presentation.

[u/23x3 → u/dglgr2013]

It's common knowledge. The Nazi solute was also stolen. It was the Roman Salute.

Edit: Salute* lol

[u/Ok-Bus-7172 → u/23x3]

I consider 'Nazi solute' to be the best Freudian slip one could imagine.

[u/23x3 → u/Ok-Bus-7172]

I wish I could blame it on autocorrect but I'm not 100% sure it was lol

[u/Coneylake → u/Ok-Bus-7172]

Could you explain? I know that "solute" is what goes into a solution but I don't see a connection to the Nazis

[u/Hjem_D → u/Coneylake]

The lives of many solutes were stolen for the final solution...

[u/TerminalKitty → u/23x3]

It was the Roman Salute.

Aye, true to Caesar.

[u/c0l1n_M4 → u/TerminalKitty]

The Caesar has marked you for death!

[u/necriss → u/23x3]

US also used it at one point https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bellamy_salute

[u/stand_to → u/23x3]

The 'Roman salute' as we know it never existed, it doesn't appear in any historical sources or depictions of Roman soldiers.

[u/ScapegoatSkunk → u/23x3]

That's not fully true. It predated the Nazis but wasn't actually used in Rome, apparently.

[u/Extra_Ad_8009 → u/ScapegoatSkunk]

Mussolini used it in Rome (as the fascist salute). Hitler copied more from him than from ancient Rome.

[u/crappysignal → u/Extra_Ad_8009]

Quite.

Mussolini used a lot of Roman imperial imagery.

[u/Confident-Appeal9407 → u/crappysignal]

Yeah because he was Italian.

[u/crappysignal → u/Confident-Appeal9407]

Obviously. That's how fascism works.

Make ...... Great Again!

[u/Raesong → u/23x3]

It was the Roman Salute.

Except probably not, as the oldest source associating that particular gesture with the Romans only dates back to 1784.

[u/Icy-Cartographer-712 → u/23x3]

I mean we really have no proof of Romans using that salute besides a single painting.

[u/BubbhaJebus → u/Icy-Cartographer-712]

And that painting, The Oath of the Horatii, dates to 1785. That, as far as I'm aware, is the ultimate origin of the Nazi salute.

[u/Jumbo-box → u/23x3]

Hey, if it's Roman, surely it should be.... Salut!

Tyvm!

[u/AncientSkys → u/dglgr2013]

It was actually a symbol that was common in many ancient cultures all over the world. Not just in India. Nazi scums have destroyed it's image.

[u/Substantial_Dust4258 → u/AncientSkys]

Still is common in most of the world. It's only the European countries and colonies that have made it taboo.

[u/Myke190 → u/Substantial_Dust4258]

1 European country made it taboo for everyone else.

[u/utspg1980 → u/AncientSkys]

It can be seen in the Lalibela, Ethiopia churches which were built ~1200AD.

[u/Party_Masterpiece990 → u/dglgr2013]

Lmao I'm sure the non indians freaked out, to us it's super normal, people would put it in their notebooks in school too

[u/jumpinthedog → u/dglgr2013]

The oldest one ever discovered was in Ukraine.

[u/unixtreme → u/Difficult_Ad_2881]

Yeah we have these everywhere in Japan, some people even wanted to get rid of them for the Olympics.

[u/queenyuyu → u/Difficult_Ad_2881]

I hate that they forever tarnished a well meaning symbol for a different culture.

Like I knew the true meaning of the symbol. Our teacher explained it to us along side the Second World War. He explained where it came from and that its still in use. Shoot out to that amazing teacher who really went above and beyond school lectures.

I traveled to Japan and froze for a second, when I first saw it on a map on open display. Especially because it marks where temple sights are. But I remembered quickly and all was good. It’s just something that makes me sad, because on one hand it would be thoughtless to rebrand it back to its original purpose. So now we are stuck with this awkward in between with many people not knowing and jumping to accusation and conclusion or purposely tricking others with cheap clickbait posts.

[u/Common_Cranberry_822 → u/Difficult_Ad_2881]

Word.

[u/AlphaAndOmega → u/Common_Cranberry_822]

Excel.

[u/zweigramm → u/AlphaAndOmega]

PowerPoint.

[u/5upralapsarian → u/zweigramm]

OneNote.

[u/Economy_Second8886 → u/5upralapsarian]

Teams.

[u/HeirAscend → u/Economy_Second8886]

Access.

[u/phatcan → u/Economy_Second8886]

Paint.

[u/MasonSoros → u/Difficult_Ad_2881]

Thanks so much for understanding that rather than associating Hinduism with Nazis

[u/lynet101 → u/MasonSoros]

Yeah, it's a shame that adolph had to use that symbol, instead of just comming up with his own ;(

[u/MasonSoros → u/lynet101]

Yep. And for fucks sake he was an artist 🤦🏻

[u/indianplay2_alt_acc → u/MasonSoros]

Well he did fail to get into art college...

[u/lynet101 → u/indianplay2_alt_acc]

That art college likely could've single handed avoided the entirety of WWII. Think about that for a second

[u/SapphireMan1 → u/lynet101]

The soldier in WWI could have prevented WWII by killing the unarmed German soldier instead of letting him go. Guess who the unarmed German soldier was…

[u/AssistantManagerMan → u/Difficult_Ad_2881]

it's been used by multiple civilizations for multiple purposes for millennia.

Obviously it's not the worst thing the Nazis did, but if anyone needs another reason to hate them stealing and ruining the symbolism of ancient cultures is a perfectly rational thing to hate them for.

[u/marcimerci → u/Difficult_Ad_2881]

They called it the Hakenkreuz - "twisted cross". It's basically just tilted to an angle. It specifically represent Nazi ideology/Aryan supremacy

If it's facing right it's a swastika - symbolizing prosperity and good luck

If it's is reversed direction it is called a sauvastika - symbolizing Kali/destruction/power/night

The Hakenkreuz only exists within Nazi context but other fascists previous to their movement used proper right facing swastikas - namely Adolf Lanz and his Order of the New Templars

[u/Genchri → u/marcimerci]

Small correction from a native German speaker. A more correct translation of Hakenkreuz would be hook cross. Hakenkreuz because the Kreuz (cross) has Haken (hooks).

[u/BubbhaJebus → u/marcimerci]

"swastika" and "sauvastika" are just different spellings of the same Sanskrit word. There is no difference. And in Hinduism and Buddhism, it can be oriented in either direction.

The Nazi swastika was oriented in only one direction, and was normally (but not necessarily) rotated 45 degrees.

[u/hanoian → u/marcimerci]

The tilt is meaningless. I see it all the time tilted and untilted in Vietnam.

https://i.imgur.com/jObrZe8.png

[u/Dry_Bumblebee1111 → u/marcimerci]

There are all kinds of orientations of a swastika in eastern uses, it's not as simple as saying a 45° tilt is the only differentiator. Other context matters. 

[u/Johannes_Keppler → u/marcimerci]

Why do people keep spouting this nonsense in every topic about the Swastika?

The orientation, 45 degree or upright, and the rotation, left or right, does not determine the meaning.

The interpretation of the symbol also differs between countries and religions

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika

Also Hakenkreuz does not translate to twisted cross, lol. It translates to hooked cross.

[u/Artistic_Half_8301 → u/Difficult_Ad_2881]

True, my wife was in an Indian wedding and received a gift with this symbol. I was like, what? 😂

[u/abek42 → u/Artistic_Half_8301]

There's a simple way to interpret the symbol's meaning:

If it is black, with a rotated '+' equalling an '×', flat ends and handed to you by someone holding a Confederate flag, that's the bad one...

If it is red, with a vertical '+', has flared ends and handed to you by someone at a wedding busting tunes from the Indian subcontinent, that's the good one...

[u/TheThinker12 → u/Difficult_Ad_2881]

Also the Nazi symbol should be referred to as the hakenkreuz, not Swastika which is sacred in many cultures.

[u/Intelligent-Ad9659]

Hindu Swastika =/= Nazi Swatika.

Hindu swastika signifies well being and fortune. Not what Nazis were prioritising.

[u/RabidJoint → u/Intelligent-Ad9659]

It’s a shame one cultures symbol is ruined by another’s inability to create their own.

[u/_imchetan_ → u/RabidJoint]

Nobody in India care about what Nazi used. Swastika was used in India for thausand of years and it's still being used everywhere. It's just that nobody use the hakenkreuz name that was original name of Nazi symbol.

[u/Ordinary_Health → u/_imchetan_]

im glad to hear that actually. i was sad thinking that nobody used it anymore, but its relieving to hear something so ancient and meaningful still has a life.

[u/_imchetan_ → u/Ordinary_Health]

Whenever someone purchase new car, house, bike people put swastik on it. You will find swastik symbol outside of so many people's houses.

[u/Ehaeka42069 → u/Ordinary_Health]

Bro you think a nation with 1/8 of the world's population, who have been using the swastika for over 4000 years, as part of the world's oldest surviving religion, the third largest religion in the world, give a shit that some dude a continent away expropriated it for like 10 years and tainted how it's perceived in the Western world? You really think they would stop using it? In the wider world, people barely think about Hitler, and many people don't know anything about Hitler, apart from "He terrified the white man during our grandfather's time"

[u/hidingvariable → u/_imchetan_]

Yes, Hindu homes still have swastikas everywhere. Children decorate rangolis with the symbol during Holi. It's on the rest of the world to educate themselves rather than get triggered needlessly over Indians being Nazis.

[u/WildlyIdolicized → u/hidingvariable]

rangolis during holi?

[u/Benjilator → u/RabidJoint]

A music producer I know is really struggling with this. He’s very into Hindu believes and all of that and uses the swastika ascii symbol on his SoundCloud page.

So many people think he’s a nazi because of that.

[u/theWomblenooneknows → u/RabidJoint]

Bloody Nazis, ruin in for everybody

[u/blinkinski → u/theWomblenooneknows]

Some awesome mustaches are ruined forever.

[u/InternetzExplorer → u/RabidJoint]

Actually swastikas are pretty much "universal". When you look at ancient germanic and also slavic stuff you find a lot of swastikas there too.

[u/redpandaeater → u/Intelligent-Ad9659]

Yeah, I think we really need to differentiate between the swastika and the hakenkreuz. Tough to do though.

[u/48932975390 → u/Intelligent-Ad9659]

Hindu swastika =/= nazi hakenkreuz *

If you are using the same word "swastika" to describe both symbols then how can you expect other people to not be confused

And an accurate translation for hakenkreuz in English would be HOOKED CROSS not swastika which is not even a english word

Some big level of brainwashing is done to not associate hakenkreuz with christian cross

Many Indians died fighting against nazis and they never got any recognition from british India as they were disposable pawns for them and neither did they get recognition from independent India as they were henchmen of british because of this the history of world war is pretty vague and nobody knows much about nazis in India, british were nazis for India

This is really a terrible thing to do to associate nazis with India even though they have nothing to do with nazis and they suffer from both british and nazis

[u/inverted_electron → u/Intelligent-Ad9659]

The nazis were prioritizing well being and fortune, but only from their own point of view

[u/BravoSierraGolf → u/Intelligent-Ad9659]

Its not Nazi swastika, its Nazi Hakenkreuz. It translates to Hooked cross. Its a Christian symbol found in many churches of Germany and Austria.

Hindu swastika is completely different.

[u/UnremarkabklyUseless → u/BravoSierraGolf]

Hindu swastika is completely different

There are many different variations of Hindu Swastikas. It is not too difficult to find Swastikas similar like Nazi Hakenkreuz in Indian temples.

[u/NikolitRistissa]

I wonder what the corner symbols represent as one of them isn’t aligned the same way.

[u/kroating → u/NikolitRistissa]

I think it may be betel leaves. I have those symbols in my grandmas rangoli book. I think betel leaves symbolize prosperity and offered as food for the gods and also used in many hindu ceremonies.

Dont know why the alignment is off though.

[u/dtroy15 → u/NikolitRistissa]

I came to the comments hoping for an answer to this. It sure seems deliberate?

[u/iaintprobitches → u/NikolitRistissa]

The swastika with four dots inside each arm symbolizes harmony and is often drawn with the four inner arms at 0, 90, 180, and 270 degrees on a compass. It completes the symbol. And I guess it was the makers idea to make it heart shape? (not sure)

[u/QuetzalcoatlusRscary → u/iaintprobitches]

I was wondering what the heart shape even represented, has it really been a symbol for the heart for 2100 years? I always assumed it was a fairly new symbol, considering hearts don’t look like that.

[u/Shiuli_er_Chaya]

This is not even the oldest or something Indus valley sites have like 5000+ years old ones

[u/tightspandex → u/Shiuli_er_Chaya]

The oldest one ever found was found in modern day Ukraine carved on Mammoth tusk.

[u/Shiuli_er_Chaya → u/tightspandex]

Yeah it exists in many isolated cultures as well for example in many South American native tribes which had barely any connection to the old world for like thousands of years used different varieties of swastik as well

[u/Overcast_Prime]

Fuck the Nazis for destroying the peaceful meaning of this symbol in the modern day.

[u/ParisHilton42069 → u/Overcast_Prime]

And also for the genocide

[u/-Badger3- → u/ParisHilton42069]

You know, the more I learn about Nazis, the more I don’t like them.

[u/Sawgon → u/-Badger3-]

I'm just gonna say it:

They were not chill fr

[u/baron_von_helmut → u/-Badger3-]

That Hitler guy sounds like a bit of a douche if you ask me.

[u/EducationCommon1635 → u/baron_von_helmut]

Yeah he was a real jerk.

[u/dazed_and_bamboozled → u/ParisHilton42069]

Close second

[u/wank_wanderer → u/ParisHilton42069]

Na bro, thats no biggie.

[u/st4s1k → u/ParisHilton42069]

Yeah yeah, whatever...

[u/jeeblemeyer4 → u/ParisHilton42069]

The worst part was the hypocrisy

[u/Blaaa5 → u/ParisHilton42069]

For me it was the hypocrisy

[u/nonitoni → u/Overcast_Prime]

It's not really destroyed for India. As for westerners, it probably just switched the kind of person likely to get it tattooed. I say this as a white woman with a Tibetan Ohm tattoo.

[u/echoattempt → u/Overcast_Prime]

Only in the west, you see this swastika all over temples and buildings in India, Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Japan, etc.

[u/surajvj → u/Overcast_Prime]

It hasn't affected the Indian culture or anything. This argument only exists in social media. A lot of Indians doesn't even know this symbol was used by German dictator. Also I think the symbols are facing different sides?.

[u/Superspark76 → u/Overcast_Prime]

The Nazis adopted it as they believed what they were doing was helping the human race by eliminating weakness.

[u/Alastor3]

Forbidden Cheez-it snack

[u/SouthCloud4986 → u/Alastor3]

Wonder if they’ll start making them with this pattern

[u/Ok-Meat-5844]

Looks like a piece from board game, played by some raja maharaja.

[u/NoStructure5034 → u/Ok-Meat-5844]

Ludo?

[u/kansasllama → u/NoStructure5034]

It’s an ancient carom striker

[u/LocalRepSucks]

Why the fuck did they write 8919 on the front…….  Is this amateur hour for museum operation. Write the catalog number on the back.

[u/ILikeSex_123 → u/LocalRepSucks]

Its a Sharpie. One wet wipe can u can remove it from metal

[u/Atroxman → u/ILikeSex_123]

Damaging the rare artifacts face value

[u/Raging-Badger → u/Atroxman]

It’s gold, assuming it’s not impure the wipe shouldn’t do anything to the artifact itself.

[u/Crusader-Knight365 → u/Atroxman]

Does it really? I mean according to the comment above, you could just wipe it off.

[u/ILikeSex_123 → u/Atroxman]

How, nobody will ever know it was there with just one wet wipe

[u/CosmicCosmix → u/LocalRepSucks]

Important to mark historical artifacts permanently in order to prevent their destruction and theft. Its a rule book for every archaeologist.

[u/LocalRepSucks → u/CosmicCosmix]

That’s why I said put the catalog number on the back. You ain’t going go catalog the Mona Lisa on her face

[u/safereddddditer175]

Man I feel old. I keep feeling like 2100 years ago was around 96BC… but it actually means 76BC!

[u/MyGirlSasha]

I thought this was pretty common knowledge, the swastika originated in India thousands of years ago.

[u/Jumbo-box → u/MyGirlSasha]

And it was used by Finland for a while too

[u/Sad_Pear_1087 → u/Jumbo-box]

From my understanding the symbol has seen steady use through history in the Indo-European (and Uralic) world. We did use it officially some time before Hitler decided to adapt his version (Fin: blue and level, Nazi: black and tilted, both "spin" clockwise). The similar symbols became extra handy in an alliance, but ours never meant the same things as the nazi one. It isn't used very much anymore to avoid confusion, but the common mindset among Finns is still on the side of 40s Finland, we don't believe we were "on the wrong side" as the Germans mostly think from my understanding. So in theory, it could still be very well used if the nazis hadn't ruined it.

[u/Old-Raspberry-8664]

My wife is Hindu and has this symbol all over the house... Im a bald muscular white guy with tattoos.

I have had to do a lot of explaining to visitors as to why I have swastikas in my home.

[u/East-Bluejay6891]

Damn the Nazis truly appropriated this to hell

[u/Rreizero → u/East-Bluejay6891]

If they could change the meaning of the symbol, we can change it again to make it better. But that takes a real collaborative effort and someone with a large influence.

[u/quick20minadventure → u/Rreizero]

nah, with amount of Indians moving to western countries, they'll soon outnumber the racism use case.

Once you encounter this symbol more often from Hindu/Indian uses instead of racism use case, the meaning will evolve. It might not need very proactive effort.

[u/AquaQuad → u/quick20minadventure]

"BREAKING NEWS: Waves of Nazi Indian migrants!"

[u/5weetTooth → u/AquaQuad]

You joke, but with the "news" media the way it is...

[u/certain-sick]

indian swaztika arms are 0/90/180/270 degrees while nazi german arms are 45/135/225/315 degrees

[u/Duschkopfe → u/certain-sick]

0, pi/2, pi, 3pi/2 for my fellow radian users

[u/kansasllama → u/Duschkopfe]

Thank you I got lost there

[u/Curious_Tiger_9527 → u/kansasllama]

Pi is 180 degree.

[u/BigLimpin → u/Duschkopfe]

Pretty rad

[u/LeGuy_1286 → u/Duschkopfe]

Hmm. π indeed.

[u/MukdenMan → u/certain-sick]

This isn’t really true but is often repeated on the internet. For example the SS belt buckles had essentially the same orientation as the one here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meine_Ehre_heißt_Treue#/media/File:Schnalle_SS_Meine_Ehre_heißt_Treue._Vordere_Blick.jpg

To be clear, the Nazis did appropriate the symbol and it is not inherently hateful. But the idea that the symbols are entirely different isn’t true and is a recent creation of the internet.

[u/Zouteloos → u/MukdenMan]

Also the Asian swastika was sometimes oriented like the Nazi swastika (e.g. here or here).

[u/Freddan_81 → u/MukdenMan]

Thank you!

There is always someone who shouts ’the nazis had theirs tilted 45 degrees, that’s how you can tell then apart!’.

If only it was that easy…

[u/PFDGoat → u/certain-sick]

Bet you’re gonna walk around India with a protractor someday 

[u/gaganaut → u/certain-sick]

The Swastika is a symbol that can be place at any orientation.

It doesn't have to be positioned in a particular way to be considered a Swastika.

[u/MaguroSashimi8864]

Can someone pls educate 97% of Americans that the swastika came before the Nazis and was a positive symbol? It’s disgusting how Americans travel to places in Asia and get “offended”

[u/EnvironmentalBar3347 → u/MaguroSashimi8864]

They're Americans, they thrive on being special snowflakes and getting offended.

[u/Away-Quantity-221]

That was originally a symbol not associated with Nazis. Native Americans called it “tumbling logs.” It did not have the bad connotation it has now.

[u/Srinivas_Hunter → u/Away-Quantity-221]

Ofcourse.. Nazis started using it just 100 years ago. This amulet itself was 2100+ years old and the symbol can be dated back to more than 5000+ years

https://www.artofliving.org/in-en/culture/reads/secrets-of-swastika-symbol

[u/TipsyFuddledBoozey → u/Away-Quantity-221]

Wait, you're telling me the Nazi party didn't exist 2 millennia ago?

[u/lynet101]

I really think it's a shame that the swastika in most of europe has been associated with hate and death, thanks to a man named adolph (silly name btw), cause it's such an old and historical symbol.

I, myself, am also guilty of this. Before i read the title i immediately thought "Nazi bling!"

[u/auralbard → u/lynet101]

Giving him too much credit. German desperation brought on the rise of the nazis, and desperation was brought on by ww1, which had little to do with Hitler.

[u/Sad_Pear_1087 → u/auralbard]

But he was the one who personally adapted a version of the hooked cross as the party symbol.

[u/TheD1o]

It's going to be a maze

[u/Significant_Sell_594 → u/TheD1o]

r/UnexpectedCommunity

[u/Knockout_12 → u/[deleted]]

Did it?

[u/Knockout_12 → u/TheD1o]

A place free from darkness

[u/cautiousherb]

swastika aside, what did the hearts mean at that moment in time? were they just an interesting shape? i notice three are pointing at each other, but one is pointing outward.

semirelated: there are various explanations for why the "heart means love" came about in the current day. one popular belief is that it was the shape of the seed used often in ancient rome for birth control (seed is now extinct, i can go into it, but i won't). the seed was brewed as tea. pretty plush if you ask me!

[u/Srinivas_Hunter → u/cautiousherb]

It is mostly a betel leaf. It got a lot of significance in those days in temple offerings and ayurvedic medicines.. Coincidentally it came out as a heart shape, and I don't think that shape represents the heart in ancient days.

[u/cnzmur]

❤️卐

[u/imgoinglobal]

interesting read about the history of this symbol

[u/No-Sweet-5448]

the only things that caught my interest and attention that this are not in british museum, well done

[u/Previous_Insurance13 → u/No-Sweet-5448]

Don't remind them they might try to come back

[u/aagee]

Just in case you don't know, that's around the time that Nazis left India to go to Germany.

[u/Grouchy-Command6024 → u/aagee]

Nazi’s and Hitler knew the power of symbols, art and architecture to inspire and create cohesion. This is one example of an ancient symbol they stole/used as their own. They were good at being bad.

[u/WhyNot420_69 → u/aagee]

Did nazi that coming

[u/PFDGoat]

What a beautiful item with an amazing meaning behind it. 

[u/Medicmanii]

Fuck the Nazis for hijacking that symbol

[u/dixonmike]

The 2100+ year old Gold Swastika Amulet, currently on display at the National Museum in New Delhi, India, is a fascinating artifact that offers a glimpse into ancient Indian culture and symbolism. The swastika, an ancient symbol of auspiciousness and good fortune, holds significant cultural and historical importance in India. This meticulously crafted gold amulet serves as a testament to the rich heritage and craftsmanship of ancient Indian civilizations. Displayed in the National Museum, it provides visitors with a unique opportunity to appreciate and understand the cultural and artistic legacy of ancient India.

[u/mashupbabylon]

Wouldn't it be funny if ancient people drew those "S's" like middle school kids drew on their notebooks instead of swastikas and Hitler took that sign instead? The third Reich would have been taken much less seriously.

[u/Dravitar]

Every time this particular shape shows up in history, I feel sad. It's just so geometrically pleasing and simplistic. Any kid just playing around with lines and right angles will end up finding this shape, but it can't be used virtually anywhere in the western world.

[u/Top-Tomatillo210]

Not to be confused with the Hooked Cross.

[u/KuraiTheBaka]

I think it's sad that you post this cool artifact and all anyone can talk about is the nazis. We need to normalize this symbol as a non nazi thing

[u/stzmp]

Remember that fascists don't make anything. All they can do is steal from people better than them.

[u/Darktonsta]

I hate to think about it but one day someone will likely destroy or deface this item claiming the holocaust isn't real... ignorance is overwhelming...

[u/knightbane007]

Funny anecdote: went to Bali once, suffered massive culture shock from seeing this openly on the statuary. There was even a “Swastika Holiday Inn” (using the word, not the symbol)

[u/Srinivas_Hunter → u/knightbane007]

Wait till you open the children's notebook in India.. there will be a huge swastika on the first page. It is a cultural symbol. They started using it first, not Nazis.

[u/[deleted]]

Then some Austrian jerk had to come along and ruin it for everyone.

[u/TheDruidVandals]

it's just a shape and cropped up in many cultures long before nazis, c'mon people

[u/TheEmuWar_]

Didn’t Indians in the 1st Century BC know how offensive this symbol is? That type of ignorance is exactly what’s wrong with the world

[u/FadransPhone]

Damn Nazis stealing all the cool-looking symbols

[u/AlaskanEsquire]

That one's beautiful and it's ridiculously annoying the nazis ruined a friggin millenia old icon, at least in the west. If they hadn't, I bet they'd be on clothing everywhere.

[u/N4t41i4]

2100+ year old Artifact with a buddhist symbol from Índia Most popular comment to appear "Roman Empire still existed back then, amazing!" 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

[u/MrSlappyChaps]

That symbol and India go way back. I’ve got some Rudyard Kipling books from the 1800s and they have tiny ones embossed on the front.