This article is part of the series on: Military of ancient Rome (portal) 753 BC – AD 476 |
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Structural history | |
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Roman army (unit types and ranks, legions, auxiliaries, generals) | |
Roman navy (fleets, admirals) | |
Campaign history | |
Lists of wars and battles | |
Decorations and punishments | |
Technological history | |
Military engineering (castra, siege engines, arches, roads) | |
Political history | |
Strategy and tactics | |
Infantry tactics | |
Frontiers and fortifications (limes, Hadrian's Wall) |
A draco was a Roman cavalry military standard borne by a draconarius. It was the standard of the cohort as the eagle was that of the legion. [1]
In Europe, the dragon was originally a Dacian emblem. It is believed that Romans adopted it from the Dacians, after their defeat [2] or from the Parthians — according to Fiebiger.
Draco took the form of a gaping wolf's head and mouth formed from cast metal, to the end of which was attached a 'body' of cloth or silk fabric in the form of a windsock. When charging, the body would billow out behind the head. It is also thought that the draco was sometimes fitted with a whistle of some form, since there are descriptions of it making a howling sound when borne into battle.
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