Makes me wonder....fascism symbols?  First a symbol for fascism tied rods with an axe.

Check out the symbols on either side of the US flag. You might want to enlarge screen to get a closer look. Interesting?

Indeed, Hatman.  So I did some online checking.  I now have added fasces to my FF online dictionary.  What I am finding is there are fasces all over D.C.  I have not been able to find out when the bronze fasces were added to the Capitol (yet).

The Bronze Fasces

The bronze fasces, representing a classical Roman symbol of civic authority, are located on both sides of the U.S. flag. The original Roman fasces consisted of an axe within a bundle of rods, bound together by a red strap. The fasces were carried before the consul and were used to restore order and carry out punishment of the courts. The U.S. adopted the fasces as a symbol of the authority of Congress in part due to their symbolic relationship with Republican Rome, which the founding fathers consciously referenced in the formation of the United States. The form of the fasces also symbolically refers to the philosophy of American democracy. Like the thin rods bound together in the fasces, the small individual states achieve their strength and stability through their union under the federal government.


Another interesting site about US Capitol

This ancient emblem called a fasces served as the symbol of civil authority in the Roman Republic. Originally it was an axe bound among a collection of rods held together with a red strap. The fasces could be presented to restore order or to carry out punishment. Our founding fathers found deep inspiration for our own democratic experiment from the Romans and adopted the symbol to represent Congress. Just as the thin rods of the fasces become stronger when bound together, so the states find stability and strength while working collectively in the House and Senate in the Capitol building.