A yellow cross on a red background, the Cross of Toulouse, is the symbol of Occitania, with very old origins. The Toulouse Cross is a universal symbol with an unknown clear meaning. It seems that the origin of the Cross was pre-Christian and that its use as a solar symbol was spread overall the Mediterranean Sea and in Asia as far as China. The Cross of Toulouse is a voided cross of four arrow-heads. Beyond the edge of the cross, there are three bobbles (pomette) at the end of each arm. The twelve pomettes may have symbolised the twelve houses of the zodiac or, being multiple of three, the could have other esoteric meanings. It is unknown the exact time when the Counts of Toulouse adopted the Cross as coat of arms. The Cross of Toulouse is identical, except than for the colours, to that of Pisa and similar to those of Milan, Venice, Bologna and Amalfi.