20 May 2010 | A pottery fragment with the image of a swastika, dating to 7,000 years ago, and an ancient female adornment with a phallus are among the artefacts shown for the first time as part of the on-going exhibition “Gods, Symbols and Ancient Signs” in the museum in Vratsa in north-western Bulgaria.
The swastika-decorated clay pottery fragment was found by archaeologists during excavations of a ritual pit around the village of Altimir near the town of Vratsa. The find dates back to the beginning of the Stone-Copper Age and shows that this symbol traverses the centuries and cannot be linked solely to Hitler’s party, archaeologists explained.
The swastika as a symbol dates to the Neolithic period in Ancient India, according to previous archaeological finds. It can also be seen on Roman and Medieval artefacts. Although it was commonly used all over much of the world without stigma and still occurs widely in religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, the swastika has become stigmatized in the Western world, because of its iconic usage in Nazi Germany.
Similarly, arcaheologists explained that the symbolism of the ancient bronze, phallus-decorated medallion included in the exhibition isn’t necessarily translated to contemporary meanings.
Other interesting artefacts displayed as part of the exhibition are the bronze instruments to make silver and gold plates and cups and the Christian crosses found in the early medieval settlement near the village of Harlets.
Other of the exhibition’s accents are the small horse amulets, as well as the bracelet fragments with Celtic signs, an ancient black-figured skyphos – a two-handled deep wine-cup and votive tablets of Heracles and the Thraciant god, which serve as an example of votive tablet iconography.
After the display in Vratsa, which is to stay for one month, the archaeologists, according to national media, intend to take the exhibition on tour at least in the northwestern part of Bulgaria.
Source: Balkan Travellers
