The caduceus is the staff carried by Hermes in Greek mythology and consequently by Hermes Trismegistus in Greco-Egyptian mythology. The short staff is entwined by two serpents, sometimes surmounted by wings. In Roman iconography, it was depicted being carried in the left hand of Mercury, the messenger of the gods
By extension of its association with Mercury and Hermes, the caduceus is also a symbol of commerce and negotiation, two realms in which exchange balanced by reciprocity is recognized as an ideal. This association is ancient and consistent from classical antiquity to modernity.
In the Lapa Cemetery this can be found on the mausoleum of José Ferreira Borges, that we can also find on this guide. Ferreira Borges wrote the first portuguese commerce Code that was known as the "Ferreira Borges Code".