| Throughout Anciet times Swastika as a solar symbol appears all over South-Central Ukraine. These areas were home to local and various passing tribes such as Cimmerians, Scythians, Sarmathians and Goths. Archeological remains from each of these cultures show wast examples of Swastikas. Cimmerians (900-700 B.C.) - one of the tribes that had settled in the steppes around the Black Sea. Swastika can be found on farious metal brosches which were used on clothing, weapons and stirrups. Scythians - Settled in the Steppes of Ukraine around 700 B.C. By 600 B.C. Scythians in Ukraine developed a unique society, which instead of being nomads, became an agrecultural society with a number of developed cities such as Helon (its fortifications being 30 km. wide, making the city one of the largest in Europe) and Olvia. Sarmatians came to Ukraine around 300 B.C. and eventually pushed out the Scithians. The name Sarmat is believed to mean Saaremat - one who carries the sword. For them the symobol of Swastika was also very common - one finds Swastikas carved on many burrial stones and statues. Of interest is a Sarmatian harp wich was discovered by a German archeologist T. Wigand in 1918 in Sarmatian burrial around city of Olvia. The middle part of the harp is decorated with Trykwer - three branched Swastika. |
|  | Cimmerian metal broch, 8th century B.C. |
|  | Detail from mosaic from cities in Southern Ukraine |
|  | Pottery from cities of Bosphorian kingdoms |
| Sarmatian harp found near city of Olvia |  |
|  | Swastikas from Sarmatian burrial stones. |
| Osrogoths, Anty, Roksolans and Rus tribes (200 - 600 A.D.) All each of these groups had its own culture , but symbol of Swastika is common to all of them. Goths that had settled central Ukraine became the dominating force in the region after defeating the Anty tribes. Under the king Germanarikh the Goths had developed a vast society with Dnaparstad (present day Kyiv) as its capital. Swastika symbol continued to represent the Sun and cound be found among various amulets used by Gothic, Slavic and Rus tribes. Such amulets were worn as pendants by men and women alike. Swastikas would also be used in the temples dedicated to Perun and Swarog - traces of them can still be seen carved at the site of Early medieval fortress of Tustan' in Western Ukraine. The fortress was constructed in pagan times, around a temple dedicated to Perun - Rus equivalet to Thor. Of interesting note is that beside the carvings of Swastikas, images of ax were also draws, since just like Thor, Perun would create lightning by throwing his axe. |  |
|  | Scythian pottery from Southern Ukraine |
| Gothic spear with Swastikas and Sieg rune from Southern Ukraine |  |
|  | Swaskika pendant of Prago-Korchatska culture from North-Western Ukraine, 5th century A.D. |
|  | Pendant from Kyiv Region, 8th century A.D. |
| Interior of a pagan temple 6thcentury A.D. |