Draconarius wielding a cavalry banner – draco.
Author: Codrin.B | Under Creative Commons Attribution license - On the same terms 3.0.
Draconarius was a type of signiferi who carried the Roman cavalry banner known as draco. It is believed that the origin of this banner comes from the Sarmatians who, along with the Dacians, were frequently recruited into auxiliary troops (auxilia) at the beginning of the 2nd century CE
Draco consisted of a brown, yawning dragon head and a snake-shaped body (in fabric). The wind blew through the dragon’s brown maw and flapped its tail made of fabric in the style of today’s airport sleeve. It is believed that in addition to impressing enemies, a whistle was mounted on the dragon’s neck in order to make an intimidating noise during the gallop.
