Plural of fascis, in Latin, bundle, beam, wad. The Romans took this symbol from the Etruscans. It was a set of elm or birch rods tied with straps to the handle of an axe that sticked out. It symbolized the power and authority of the magistrates and also the strength of the union. They were carried on the shoulder by the lictors in front of the different magistrates. It was the symbol of musolini's National Fascist Party in the 1920s and 1930s and has subsequently been and is a symbol of many shields, flags and institutions.
