Triskelion (Triskele) Artifact from the Archaeological Museum of Olympia, Greece

Triskelion (Triskele) Artifact from the Archaeological Museum of Olympia, Greece:

No pH๏τo description available.

A triskelion or triskele (which invariably has rotational symmetry) is a motif consisting of three interlocked spirals, three bent human legs, or three bent/curved lines extending from the center of the symbol. Both words are from Greek “τρισκέλιον” (triskelion) or “τρισκελής” (triskeles), “three-legged”, from prefix “τρι-” (tri-), “three times”] + “σκέλος” (skelos), “leg”. Although it appears in many places and periods including 3200 BCE Newgrange, it is especially characteristic of the Celtic art of the La Tène culture of the European Iron Age.

Archaeological Museum of Olympia | Visit Katakolon

The triskelion symbol appears in many early cultures, the first in Malta (4400–3600 BC) and in the astronomical calendar at the famous megalithic tomb of Newgrange in Ireland built around 3200 BC, Mycenaean vessels, on coinage in Lycia, and on staters of Pamphylia (at Aspendos, 370–333 BC) and Pisidia. It appears as a heraldic emblem on warriors’ shields depicted on Greek pottery.

Olympia Greece Archaeological Museum Interior Exhibits Visitors Display  Classical Times — Stock Video © bestravelvideo #489519488
Familiar as an ancient symbol of Sicily, the symbol dates back to when Sicily was part of Magna Graecia, the colonial extension of Greece beyond the Aegean.Pliny the Elder attributes the origin of the triskelion of Sicily to the triangular form of the island, the ancient Trinacria (from the Greek tri- (three) and akra (end, limb)), which consists of three large capes equidistant from each other, pointing in their respective directions, the names of which were Pelorus, Pachynus, and Lilybæum.

Archaeological Museum of Olympia | Visit Katakolon

The Celtic symbol of three conjoined spirals may have had triple significance similar to the imagery that lies behind the triskelion. The triple spiral motif is a Neolithic symbol in Western Europe. It is considered a Celtic symbol but is in fact a pre-Celtic symbol.It is carved into the rock of a stone lozenge near the main entrance of the prehistoric Newgrange monument in County Meath, Ireland. Newgrange, which was built around 3200 BC, predating the Celtic arrival in Ireland but has long since been incorporated into Celtic culture.

Related Posts

Mysterious Discovery: The Remains of a Pharaoh-Style Monument in a Tropical Jungle – An Archaeological Report (1907–1912)

1. Historical Context and Dating Between 1907 and 1912, during a geological–botanical expedition in a remote tropical rainforest of Central America (likely near modern-day Honduras), a small…

ᴀssyrian Divers and the Leather Underwater Breathing Bag: Decoding an Ancient Technique Through Archaeological Evidence

I. Archaeological Background The two images—a modern reconstruction and an ancient bas-relief—depict an ᴀssyrian technique of underwater navigation using an air-filled leather bag. The relief was discovered…

The Buried Lotus Column Base: A Remarkable Archaeological Discovery from a Middle Eastern River Basin

The object depicted is a large stone column base intricately carved with lotus motifs—an iconic stylistic element of ancient Near Eastern art, especially ᴀssociated with cultures of…

Archaeological Report on the Zoomorphic Pillars of Göbekli Tepe

Discovered on the limestone plateau of southeastern Anatolia, the monumental zoomorphic sculptures ᴀssociated with Göbekli Tepe represent some of the earliest known examples of large-scale symbolic stonework…

Archaeological Report on the Wandjina Rock Art

Discovered within the rugged sandstone overhangs of the Kimberley region in northwestern Australia, the rock paintings known collectively as the Wandjina figures represent one of the most…

A Single Language, Carved in Two Worlds.

In the quiet earth of Tuscany, the Roman stones of Cosa rest, their polygonal forms locked together since the 3rd century BCE. Across the globe, in the…