<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (March 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (March 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> Fasces (English: / ˈfæsiːz /, Latin: (ˈfa. skeːs); a plurale tantum, from the Latin word fascis, meaning "bundle"; Italian: fascio littorio) is a bound bundle of wooden rods, sometimes including an axe with its blade emerging . The fasces had its origin in the Etruscan civilization and was passed on to ancient Rome, where it symbolized a magistrate's power and jurisdiction . The axe originally associated with the symbol, the Labrys (Greek: λάβρυς, lábrys) the double - bitted axe, originally from Crete, is one of the oldest symbols of Greek civilization . To the Romans, it was known as a bipennis . Commonly, the symbol was associated with female deities, from prehistoric through historic times . </P>

Meaning of the bundle of rods or fasces