Cross

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For information on the Christian symbol, see Christian cross. For other uses, see Cross
(disambiguation).


A Greek cross (all arms of equal length) above asaltire, a cross whose limbs are slanted
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other,
dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if
they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire
need not meet at right angles.
The cross is one of the most ancient human symbols, and has been used by many
religions, most notably Christianity. It may be seen as a division of the world into four
elements(Chevalier, 1997) or cardinal points, or alternately as the union of the concepts
of divinity, the vertical line, and the world, the horizontal line (Koch, 1955).
Contents
[hide]
1 Etymology
2 History
3 As markings
4 As emblems and symbols
5 In heraldry
6 In flags
o 6.1 Sovereign state flags with crosses
o 6.2 Other selected flags and arms with crosses
7 As a design element
8 Other noteworthy crosses
9 See also
10 References
o 10.1 Notes
o 10.2 Sources
11 External links
Etymology[edit]
The word cross comes ultimately from Latin crux, a Roman torture device used
for crucifixion, via Old Irish cros. The word was introduced to English in the 10th century as
the term for the instrument of the torturous execution of Jesus as described in the New
Testament, gradually replacing the earlier word rood.
History[edit]


A famous Armeniankhachkar at Goshavank.
It is not known when the first cross image was made; after circles, crosses are one of the
first symbols drawn by children of all cultures. Some of the earliest images of crosses were
found in the Central Asian steppes, and some were found in Altay. The cross in the old
Altaic religion called Tengriism symbolizes the god Tengri; it wasn't an elongated "dagger"
cross, instead resembling a plus sign (+).
The first Christian books from Armenia and Syria contained evidence that the cross
originated with horsemen from the east, possibly referring to the first Turkic people. In old
Armenian temples, some stylistic Turkic influences are found in cross symbols. Named
animal, the symbol was found in the plans of temples, with the pillars from above looking
like an additional cross.
There are many cross-shaped incisions in European cult caves, dating back to the earliest
stages of human cultural development in the stone age. Like other symbols from this
period, their use continued in the Celtic and Germanic cultures in Europe. For example,
Celtic coins minted many centuries before the Christian era may have an entire side
showing this type of cross, sometimes with the cardinal points marked by concave
depressions in the same style as in stone age carvings. Other coins may be showing the
cross held by a rider on a horse and springing a fern leaf, sometimes identified as a Tree of
Life symbol.
As of April 10, 2013, pictures of a possible contender for the first use of the cross symbol
has been found at the Tell Khaiber excavation site in Ur, Iraq. The shape of one of the
buildings, believed to be about 4,000 years old, is in the shape of a cross of the type used
in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. A picture of the building's floor can be seen here:
[1]
This
would predate the ancient Israelites Tabernacle in the wilderness and the first two temples
by about 800 years.
As markings[edit]

1600 BC marble sacral cross from the Temple Repositories of Knossos.
(Heraclion Archaeological Museum, Greece)
Written crosses are used for many different purposes, particularly in mathematics.
The addition (or plus) sign (+) and the multiplication (or times) sign () are cross
shapes.
A cross is often used as a check mark because it can be clearer, easier to create with
an ordinary pen or pencil, and less obscuring of any text or image that is already
present than a large dot. It also allows marking a position more accurately than a large
dot.
The Chinese character for ten is (see Chinese numerals).
The dagger or obelus () is a cross
The Georgian letters and are crosses.
In the Latin alphabet, the letter X and the minuscule form of t are crosses.
The Roman numeral for ten is X.
A large cross through a text often means that it is wrong or should be considered
deleted. A cross is also used stand-alone () to denote rejection.