History of the Cross as Symbol

The pre-Christian history of the cross symbol "From its simplicity of form, the cross has been used both as a religious symbol and as an ornament, from the dawn of man's civilization. Various objects, dating from periods long anterior to the Christian era, have been found, marked with crosses of different designs, in almost every part of the old world."1 The cross symbol was found in: 2

+Scandinavia: The Tau cross symbolized the hammer of the God Thor.
+Babylon: the cross with a crescent moon was the symbol of their moon deity.
+Assyria: the corners of the cross represented the four directions in which the sun shines.
+India: In Hinduism, the vertical shaft represents the higher, celestial states of being; the horizontal bar represents the lower, earthly states.
+Egypt: The ankh cross (a Tau cross topped by an inverted tear shape) is associated with Maat, their Goddess of Truth. It also represents the sexual union of Isis and Osiris.
+Europe: The use of a human effigy on a cross in the form of a scarecrow has been used from ancient times. In prehistoric times, a human would be sacrificed and hung on a cross. The sacrifice would later be chopped to pieces; his blood and pieces of flesh were widely distributed and buried to encourage the crop fertility.

1.The Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th Edition, Vol. VII, Page. 506

2.J.C. Cooper, "An Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Traditional Symbols", Thames & Hudson, London, UK, (1979), Page 45-47.