The same symbol [the Swastika], as is well known, occurs on the
Archaic pottery of Cyprus * * * as well as upon the prehistoric
antiquities of Athens and Mykênæ [same, "Ilios," p. 353], but it was
entirely unknown to Babylonia, to Assyria, to Phoenicia, and to Egypt.
It must therefore either have originated in Europe and spread eastward
through Asia Minor or have been disseminated westward from the
primitive home of the Hittites. The latter alternative is the more
probable; but whether it is so or not, the presence of the symbol in
the land of the Ægean indicates a particular epoch and the influence
of a pre-Phoenician culture.
Dr. Schliemann[94] reports that "Rev. W. Brown Keer observed the Swastika
innumerable times in the most ancient Hindu temples, especially those of
the Jainas."