10 You think you know the significance of ancient symbols, but you really don't know.

Since the very first day of human life, icons have been a part of human communication from pigments to printing presses. The imperfection of expression, which undoubtedly permitted exchange of ideas and stimulated innovation, ultimately contributed to the development of new modes of communication, increasing both the range at which people could express themselves and the durability of knowledge.

Symbols are so popular nowadays, that we hardly ever wonder how they began. A symbol can tell you a thousand words more about a individual, a group of people, an organization or even a religion and political philosophy.

Many of us are well aware of what such symbols mean and a single hand gesture or greeting is adequate in certain cases to send you a direct message.

For starters, millions of people worldwide decorate their homes with mistletoe every December, and kiss under it.

Nevertheless, this plant's initial definition had nothing to do with love, or Christmas.

Mistletoe was used as a sign of ritual castration by the ancient Norse legend, where the mistletoe originates.

Here are ten more symbols from antiquity that probably don’t represent what most of us may think they do in modern times.

The Middle Finger
It’s unnecessary to explain the modern meaning of this highly disrespectful gesture since pretty much everyone knows it already. But you may not have been aware that this symbol goes back to ancient Greece. Though it wasn’t seen as offensive or hostile then, like it is today, it was associated with sexual intercourse and fertility. Specifically, it represented a phallus.

Herm with erect phallus. Marble, ca. 520 BC. From Siphnos.


Thumbs-Up

A thumbs-up is another popular hand gesture of our times whose real meaning and origin few people know. Depending on whether the thumb is extended up or down it is seen as a representation of approval or disapproval respectively. Today this symbol has little connection to its origins, when it voted to save the life (or not) of a Roman gladiator. As many of you have probably seen in films, Roman crowds used this hand gesture at the end of a gladiatorial event to decide whether a defeated gladiator should live or die.

‘Pollice Verso’ , 1872 painting by Jean-Léon Gérôme (Phoenix Art Museum).


The Pentagram
The pentagram is the simplest regular star polygon and it was associated with the golden ratio and architectural perfection in ancient Greece. Nowadays, however, most people think of evil and black magic when they see a pentagram - since the symbol ended up linked to Satanism.

Image of a human body in a pentagram from Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa's ‘Libri tres de occulta philosophia.’ Symbols of the sun and moon are in center, while the other five classical "planets" are around the edge.


The V Sign
The V sign is a hand gesture that people widely use nowadays to show their peaceful intentions or to express victory. The origin of this sign, however, has nothing to do with peace or victory. It dates back to the Hundred Years’ War (1337–1453) when English archers used to taunt their French enemies by raising their two fingers, well only if they had both, that is, since any English archer caught by the French usually had his index and middle fingers chopped off his right hand, ensuring that he wouldn’t be able to kill another French soldier in battle.

Winston Churchill in Downing Street giving his famous 'V' sign.


The Heart Shape
The heart shape is a symbol that today is strictly associated with love, romantic relationships, and most recently Valentine’s Day. But in ancient Greece it had nothing to do with these things. We first meet the heart shape as a symbol for silphium, a species of giant fennel that once grew on the North African coast near the Greek colony of Cyrene. The ancient Greeks first used silphium to flavor food and as a medicine, but it would later become the most popular form of birth control.

Silphium integrifolium.


The Barber Pole
You probably don’t know this, but the colors on the old-fashioned, almost iconic barber pole are not random. They symbolize a bloody legacy from the medieval period, when people went to barbers not just for a haircut and a shave but also for bloodletting and other medical procedures. See, during the Middle Ages bloodletting was a common treatment for a wide range of diseases and apparently barbers were as trusted as physicians to carry out the procedure.

16th century barber-dentist. During the Middle Ages bloodletting was performed by barbers and physicians.


The Devil’s Horns
Most of us think of hard rock music when we see the devil’s horns, but this symbol’s history goes all the way back to ancient India where it was used as a gesture by the Buddha to expel demons and remove obstacles such as illness or negative thoughts.

Devil’s horns hand sign.


The “Two-fingered Salute”
The two-fingered salute—not to be confused with the V sign—is not a popular way to salute someone but some people will do it, mostly instinctively. Regardless of how it is viewed today, this hand gesture goes back to ancient Rome, where defeated gladiators used it to ask for mercy from the Lord of the Spartacus

Spartacus performing a “Two-fingered salute.”


Mudras (Hand Gestures)
It might sound ridiculously funny to those who happen to know the origin of mudras, but there are indeed many people, especially in the United States, who think that some of the mudras originated in American ghettos and represent certain gangs like the Bloods or Crips. Of course, the original mudras have nothing to do with violence or gangs and they originated in India where they symbolize peace, harmony, and good mental health, among other positive things.

A popular mudra.


The Swastika
In most parts of the West, the swastika is synonymous with Nazism, fascism, and racism, but in reality this symbol of good fortune and well-being has been a sacred symbol in Hinduism, Buddhism, and other Eurasian religions for the past twelve thousand years.




A collage of swastika styles found in four different cultures.