Swastika or Swastik (Sanskrit: svástika स्वस्तिक; "well-being";
German: hakenkreuz; "hooked cross") is an ancient symbol usually
associated with Eastern religions or as decorative art as early
as the Bronze Age; its use in Germany as an emblem for the Nazi
Party made it one of the most recognizable symbols of hatred in
history. The historical swastik is an even cross based on the
dimensions of a square, with the arms of the cross bent at right
angles either clockwise or counter-clockwise. Usually most
religious instances of the swastika are based on the dimensions
of a square; while Nazi use has it based on the dimensions of a
diamond shape (square tilted @ 45 degrees).  Found in ancient
sites world-wide, it has been surmised that it was used to
symbolize the rotation of the sun or creation, as the arms give
the impression of continual rotation. Heinrich Schliemann found
images of the swastika painted on pottery recovered from the
ruins of Troy during his expeditions there in the 1870's. As a
religious symbol