Noticing the designs on the clothing of Diogenes, one cannot but think that he is wearing swastikas. I knew that the swastika predated the National Socialist Worker's Party, but I didn't know by how much, and how widespread, until I did some reading.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika
Suffice it to say that this symbol is extremely widespread in both space and time: it appears in Asia, Europe, North America, from as early as 10,000 years ago. It is a widely used symbol in Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism, and by Native Americans; in all cases, as a symbol of good luck.. Here is a 1909 picture of a basketball team from the Chiloco Indian School, in Ponca City, OK.
The US 45th Infantry Division, which was made of National Guard units from Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Oklahoma, had this as their unit's shoulder patch from the Division's creation in 1924:
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WIth the growth of the Nazi Party in the 1930's, this patch was abandoned and a new one was chosen to go with the Division's nickname, the "Thunderbird" Division.
There are numerous examples of its occurrence to be found all over the world, from many periods in history.
As far as its association with the Church, here is an excerpt from the Catholic Encyclopedia, http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04517a.htm
The sign of the cross, represented in its simplest form by a crossing of two lines at right angles, greatly antedates, in both the East and the West, the introduction of Christianity. It goes back to a very remote period of human civilization. In fact, some have sought to attach to the widespread use of this sign, a real ethnographic importance. It is true that in the sign of the cross the decorative and geometrical concept, obtained by a juxtaposition of lines pleasing to the sight, is remarkably prominent; nevertheless, the cross was originally not a mere means or object of ornament, and from the earliest times had certainly another — i.e. symbolico-religious — significance. The primitive form of the cross seems to have been that of the so-called "gamma" cross (crux gammata), better known to Orientalists and students of prehistoric archæology by its Sanskrit name, swastika.
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It is fairly common on the Christian monuments of Rome, being found on some sepulchral inscriptions, besides occurring twice, painted, on the Good Shepherd's tunic in an arcosolium in the Catacomb of St. Generosa in the Via Portuensis, and again on the tunic of the fossor Diogenes (the original epitaph is no longer extant) in the Catacomb of St. Domitilla in the Via Ardeatina. Outside of Rome it is less frequent.
