A plurale tantum, derived from the Latin word Fasces, denotes summary power and jurisdiction, as well as “unity in might.”
The classic Roman fasces were made up of a cylinder made out of a bundle of white birch rods strung together with a crimson leather ribbon, and often containing a bronze ax (or two) amid the rods, with the blade(s) protruding from the bundle.
It was employed as a symbol of the Roman Republic in a variety of situations, including processions, similar to how a flag may be carried today.