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The Swastika Stone is a stone adorned with a design that resembles a swastika, located on the Woodhouse Crag on the northern edge of Ilkley Moor in
The Swastika Stone
Prehistoric Britain Archaeological sites in West Yorkshire Swastika Petroglyphs Ilkley Stones {{WestYorkshire-struct-stub
The Swastika Stone is a stone adorned with a design that resembles a swastika, located on the Woodhouse Crag on the northern edge of Ilkley Moor in West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...
, England. The design has a double outline with four curved arms and an attached S-shape, each enclosing a so-called 'cup' mark, the like of which can be found on other stones nearby.
The design is thought to be rare in the British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
, so its close similarity to Camunian rose
The Camunian rose (Italian: Rosa camuna, Lombard: Rœsa camuna) is the name given to a particular symbol represented among the rock carvings of Camonica Valley (Brescia, Italy). It consists of a meandering closed line that winds around nine ...
designs in Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
have led some to theorise that the two are connected. In fact, the troops stationed in Ilkley during Roman occupation were recruited from the Celtic Lingones
The Lingones (Gaulish: 'the jumpers') were a Gallic tribe of the Iron Age and Roman periods. They dwelled in the region surrounding the present-day city of Langres, between the provinces of Gallia Lugdunensis and Gallia Belgica.
Name
Attes ...
. This tribe was native to Gaul
Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
, but in around 400 BC, some migrated across the Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Swi ...
to the Adriatic coast. Some believe the Ilkley Lingones were recruited from here rather than from Gaul. It is possible that the Italian Lingones passed through the Valcamonica region at some point, took on the swastika designs they found as part of their tribal symbolism, and carved it on the nearby moor when stationed in Ilkley.
See also
*Camunian rose
The Camunian rose (Italian: Rosa camuna, Lombard: Rœsa camuna) is the name given to a particular symbol represented among the rock carvings of Camonica Valley (Brescia, Italy). It consists of a meandering closed line that winds around nine ...
* Fylfot
* Germanic pre-Christian use of the swastika
* Lauburu
The lauburu ( Basque: ''lau'' ("four") + ''buru'' ("head")) is an ancient hooked cross with four comma-shaped heads and the most widely known traditional symbol of the Basque Country and the Basque people. In the past, it has also been associa ...
* Western use of the swastika in the early 20th century
References
External links
The Swastika Stone
Prehistoric Britain Archaeological sites in West Yorkshire Swastika Petroglyphs Ilkley Stones {{WestYorkshire-struct-stub