Spirals appear as a common ornamental motif on stone and ceramics already in Prehistory. Examples can be found in Neolithic pottery, but also in the early civilizations of Egypt, Crete and China. In Europe spiral motifs are widespread from megalithic cultures through the Bronze Age to the early Iron Age, as well as among the Celts and Germanic tribes, and also appear on Iberian pottery.
In the Minoan and Mycenaean cultures, the meaning of the spiral is connected to that of the labyrinth and refers to the idea of energy and evolution.
Spirals convey an idea of infinity, but they can also have the purpose of warding off evil (apotropaic) or even serve as a tribal symbol.