Archaeologists from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) have made an interesting discovery in Tønsberg, a town in Vestfold county, Norway. While excavating a 13th-century weaving mill, they discovered a spinning whorl_an essential tool in the textile production process, inscribed with swastika symbols.

This spinning wheel with four swastikas was found during                                        excavations in Tønsberg. Credit: NIKU

The object, made of red sandstone, has four swastikas: three oriented to the right and one to the left. It was found among several other tools used for spinning and weaving, including cloth weights, scabbards, and even an object decorated with horns, possibly part of a woven sword. The whorl was discovered between two floors of the building's floor, which archaeologists interpret as a weaving room. This space likely housed a variety of craft activities, from spinning and sewing to weaving, but not necessarily on a large or professional scale.

The artifact, made of red sandstone, features four swastikas. Credit: NIKU

Hanne Ekstrøm Jordahl, the lead archaeologist and head of the excavation project, suggested that the swastikas were carved in the Middle Ages, and not during the Nazi occupation of the 1940s, as some might assume because of the modern symbol’s association with Nazism. Jordahl explained: “The context of the discovery is absolutely certain. The shaft was placed between two layers of flooring in the remains of a 13th-century house. Swastikas were carved in the Middle Ages.”

Swastikas are an ancient and widespread symbol, present in many cultures in Europe, Asia, and the Americas for thousands of years. In Europe, especially during the Iron Age and the Middle Ages, the symbol was used in various forms as a decorative element, as well as a symbol of good luck and solar energy.

A pendant from the Migration Period. This one features a swastika. Unknown                     find location. Credit: Kirsten Helgeland (CC BY-SA 4.0).

In Norway, the use of the swastika dates back to the Iron Age, and examples can be found in everything from gold pendants to rock carvings. The swastika today is most often associated with Nazi ideology and the negative connotations it carries, but it was originally seen as a symbol of prosperity, salvation, and the cyclical movement of the sun.