Hermes

The symbol on the left is the caduceus or a herald's staff. In Greek mythology, it is an attribute of Hermes, the god of messengers, economists, merchants and - pure coincidence, I suppose - gamblers, liars and thieves. Hermes is the closest Olympian god to economics and business, that's why the caduceus shows up on this website - and in many places related to commerce, for example:

• Business Schools: Stockholm School of Economics or Columbia Business School (more stylized);

• Bank notes: Poland or Germany;

• Buildings: Colonial Trade Company (Madrid), Market House (Krakow), Timber Market Fountain (Hanover), Blackburne House (mansion of salt trader John Blackburn in Liverpool), Hôtel Saint-Côme (seat of the Chamber of Commerce in Montpellier);

• Flags of customs or antitrust agencies: Belarus, China, Finland, Singapore Ukraine;

• Portraits: Leonhard Beyersberger (spice trader) or Karl Christoph Stiller (trader and publisher in Rostock).

How the caduceus ended up as a symbol for medical institutions in the U.S., I don't know. Maybe it got confused with the Rod of Asclepios?