The Triple-dot Pattern and the Swastika in Ancient Art 1 A letter to Julianna Lees with regard to her study on the “triple-dot” pattern, called the “Cintamani.” (http://www.flickr.com/groups/1530622@N23/pool/) by Mel Copeland I think the triple-dot motif coexists with the cross, swastika, labyrinth and various sun symbols and combinations where they are placed within a circular or square border. Such patterns seem to date from the formative, Neolithic days of man’s perception of, and identity with, gods and heaven(s), i.e., there are seven heavens in Jewish tradition. In this sense, then, I think it is worthwhile to associate the symbols as a continuity of thought. Religious thought, for instance, has always been conservative, holding onto the precepts of the past. The Catholic Church has held onto the use of the Latin language in its liturgy, though the people of their parishes had no knowledge of the language. From another perspective archeologists have found flower pollen associated with Neanderthal burials, suggesting they threw flowers on the grave; we still do it today, probably with the same meaning. The swastika has been found around the world and some of its earliest versions include branches, where the design grew from a symbol of trees to a geometric form, of simple bars with buds on them, as seen in the ceremonial bowls from tell Baghouz, Syria (Samarra culture 5500- 4800 B.C.). The theme of the swastika can be seen as the Tree of Life, from which all creation emerged, from whose base came ever-flowing waters that have been compared to the amniotic fluid flowing from early “Venus” statues, such as the Venus of Lespugue, Aurignacian Period, carved on ivory (40,000 - 25,000 B.C.). Clyde E. Keeler did a study on this, called “Apples of Immortality from the Cuna Tree of Life,” Exposition Press, NY, 1961. I have used images from his book at: http://www.maravot.com/Phrygian3.html. Essentially behind the various legends of the creation scattered around the world, God decided to create man and the animals and either took a tree and spun it, from which all life spun out or, as in some American Indian tales, the Great Spirit took a raven or some other bird and spun it around, from which all life began. The images from Syria show various forms of this creation theme, using fish, trees and birds. More images of Samarra pottery are here: https://www.google.com/#q=Samarra+pottery. Fig. 1 Samarra ware shows buds growing at the end of the bars of the Fig. 1 and 2 Bowls from Baghouz, Syria, Samarra culture, ~5500 B.C. Fig. 3 Idol from Phrygian altar Midas City, Turkey, showing swastika- labyrinth design. Fig. 4 Venus of Lespugue