Translating from an article in a Greek encyclopaedia published in the 1920s, before the Nazi era:
"(Sanskrit word, swastika or svastica). Extremely ancient decorative design, generally interpretted as a sun symbol, depicting a cross having four equal arms that are bent at the edge so that they form right angles. The swastika was widely distributed throughout the world. It is found on Egyptian reliefs, Greek pottery of the archaic period and of the Aegean civilization period, and in India as a religious symbol. It has many variations regarding its shape."
Given its use in ancient Greece and India, the Nazis possibly used the swastika as an Aryan sun symbol, even though its use was more widespread.
Interpretting it as a Greek sun symbol, Heinrich Schliemann, the archaeologist who discovered Troy, had swastikas used as a decorative element on the railing outside his house in the center of Athens, surprising modern passers-by who are only familiar with the Nazi use of the symbol!
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