The Fasces: A History of Ancient Rome's Most Dangerous Political Symbol

Fascism is a word ubiquitous in our contemporary political discourse, but few know about its roots in the ancient past or its long, strange evolution to the present.In ancient Rome, the fasces were a bundle of wooden rods bound with a leather cord, in which an axe was placed--in essence, a mobile kit for corporal or capital punishment.

Attendants typically carried fasces before Rome's higher officials, to induce feelings of respect and fear for the relevant authority.