Welcome to the thread Fasces! If you have something to contribute, please send a reply! 😍 

Conventional history easily convinces us of man's lust for power and sadism. Strangely enough, this negative behavior occurs among both believers and non-believers. Over the years, numerous torture instruments and other weapons have been developed. Most of us know the thumbscrew, the fillet knife for skinning alive, the brazen bull, the Scavenger's daughter, and the iron maiden. What kind of weapon was the fasces?

Fasces

The fasces (Latin, "bundle of rods", singular "fascis", plural "fasces") is an ancient Roman symbol of the authority of the higher magistrates. The fasces consists of a bundle of wooden rods most of the time enclosing an axe, held together by red leather straps. The rods, usually birch but sometimes elm, were symbolic of the “power to punish”. The axe symbolized the “power over life and death” and the straps the “power to arrest”. 

Origin

Although the fasces is almost exclusively associated with the Roman lictors, the Romans might have adopted this symbol from the Etruscan city of Vatluna.  According to Silius Italicus (Punica VIII.485ff), the Romans adopted their magisterial insignia, the Lictors' rods and fasces and the curule seat, from Vetulonia. A depiction of the fasces in an Etruscan stele add to the belief that the Etruscans used the fasces.

Symbol

In iconography, the fasces are an attribute of personified justice. The fasces symbol is placed in the American Senate on either side of the chair of the president. The fasces are also a symbol of harmony, for example in marriage. Then it is carried by Amor. The fasces are also depicted on the coat of arms of the House of Vasa, kings of Sweden from 1523 to 1654. The symbol is also incorporated into the flag of the borough of Brooklyn in New York. The flag and seal of the borough of Brooklyn show a woman in a cloak holding the fasces. In America, the fasces is seen as a Republican symbol, among other things.

What is inside?

Weapons are instruments that can save your life and end another one's. A small weapon is easily concealed and a larger weapon helps to scare people off. As we can see from the picture, the lictor is carrying a very large fasces. There is no handle on it and he needs to carry it over his shoulder, but there's no carrying strap. The lictor in the image looks like a security guard from ancient times. If he were to be attacked by someone carrying a dagger, he it would carry the less favorable weapon, because it is bulky and would have to be grasped with both arms to attack with it in a targeted manner. Who would want to hire a security officer that was handicapped by his weapon? The fasces in the other picture doesnt have a handgrip or carrying strapeither. 

Torture instruments

In La Galérie Agréable du Monde (Pieter van der AA, Leiden, 1729) a print is included which bears the following caption "the Torture Instruments hung on the Cross as a Sign of Victory". The fasces is on the floor, leaning against a wheel used to break a suspect or a convicted person. Again, it has no handle or strap to carry it.

Off-topic: In the print are some hidden messages referring to passages in the Old and New testament.