When a Roman gladiator won a battle, he received palm branches for the victory and the rudis as a gesture symbolic of his freedom. The Roman poet Martial wrote of a circumstance in which two gladiators named Verus and Priscus fought to a stalemate, and both received rudes and palms as a reward for their bravery and skill.

The cross is the Roman Catholic symbol for their Savior, Jesus Christ. Catholics believe that the cross is a symbol of freedom because it represented Jesus’ selfless act of putting his life on the cross to free his people from original sin. There are many types of crosses, each with its own meaning and history.