The draconarius was a type of signifer who bore a cavalry standard known as a draco in the Roman army.

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Name

Strictly speaking, the word draconarius denotes the bearer of the military standard on which a dragon was represented.^[1] The term passed into Christian usage, and was applied to the bearer of the labarum in battle, and also to cross-bearers in church processions. ^[2]

Dragon ensign

From the conquered Dacians, the Romans in Trajan's time borrowed the dragon ensign which became the standard of the cohort as the eagle was that of the legion.^[3] Of Dacian, Sarmatian in origin, the draco was later generally introduced in the fourth century as a Roman standard.^[4]

It consisted of a bronze dragon head with a fabric body similar in shape to a tail behind it. Wind flowed through the gaping mouth and billowed out the cloth tail much like a modern windsock. It is thought that some form of whistle was mounted in the dragon's neck to make a terrifying noise when galloping.