I’ve been reading a bit of what I assume is history on Wikipedia, that concerning the Fasces, that axe in a handle made of many branches bound together, that I had thought was carried by the Roman Consuls.
I was wrong. Here is the link to the Fasces. Apparently they were carried by Lictors, who were in effect bodyguards to various officials. The axe heads had to be removed to carry them into the sacred inner part of the Rome, symbolizing that the authority of the magistrates the Lictors protected ended at that point.
This was not true of Dictators. This was the first time I read of this history, but apparently there were times in the history of the Roman Republic when the two consuls in effect ceded their authority to one individual who was called a Dictator, and whose bodyguards were allowed the run of Rome.
It is interesting to me that this symbol comes from the era of the Roman Republic, and not the Empire. It symbolizes binding together, and it symbolizes power.
I’m flirting with this topic, and will no doubt return to it. This warrants a bit of thought.