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The draconarius was a type of ''
The Draco, the Late Roman military standard
Military ranks of ancient Rome Ancient Roman titles Military history of Dacia {{dacia-stub
The draconarius was a type of ''signifer
A ''signifer'' () was a standard bearer of the Roman legions. He carried a ''signum'' ( standard) for a cohort or century. Each century had a ''signifer'' so there were 59 in a legion. Within each cohort, the first century's ''signifer'' would ...
'' who bore a cavalry standard known as a ''draco
Draco is the Latin word for serpent or dragon.
Draco or Drako may also refer to:
People
* Draco (lawgiver) (from Greek: Δράκων; 7th century BC), the first lawgiver of ancient Athens, Greece, from whom the term ''draconian'' is derived
* ...
'' in the Roman army
The Roman army (Latin: ) was the armed forces deployed by the Romans throughout the duration of Ancient Rome, from the Roman Kingdom (c. 500 BC) to the Roman Republic (500–31 BC) and the Roman Empire (31 BC–395 AD), and its medieval contin ...
.
Name
Strictly speaking, the word ''draconarius'' denotes the bearer of the military standard on which a dragon was represented. 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.Dragon ensign
From the conquered Dacians, theRomans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
in Trajan
Trajan ( ; la, Caesar Nerva Traianus; 18 September 539/11 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117. Officially declared ''optimus princeps'' ("best ruler") by the senate, Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presi ...
's time borrowed the dragon ensign which became the standard of the cohort as the eagle was that of the legion. Of Dacia
Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It ...
n, Sarmatian
The Sarmatians (; grc, Σαρμαται, Sarmatai; Latin: ) were a large confederation of ancient Eastern Iranian equestrian nomadic peoples of classical antiquity who dominated the Pontic steppe from about the 3rd century BC to the 4th cen ...
in origin, the ''draco'' was later generally introduced in the fourth century as a Roman standard.
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
A windsock (also called a wind cone) is a conical textile tube that resembles a giant sock. It can be used as a basic indicator of wind speed and direction, or as decoration. They are typically used at airports to show the direction and strength ...
. It is thought that some form of whistle was mounted in the dragon's neck to make a terrifying noise when galloping.
See also
* Clan of Ostoja *Dacian warfare
The history of Dacian warfare spans from c. 10th century BC up to the 2nd century AD in the region defined by Ancient Greek and Latin historians as Dacia, populated by a collection of Thracian, Ionian, and Dorian tribes. It concerns the armed con ...
* Aquilifer
An ''aquilifer'' (, "eagle-bearer") was a soldier signifer bearing the eagle standard of a Roman legion. The name derives from the type of standard, '' aquila'' meaning "eagle" (which was the universal type used since 106 BC), and ''ferre'', the ...
* Imaginifer
The ''imaginifer'' was one of the '' signiferi'' in a legion in the times of the Roman Empire, who carried the ''imago'' (the image) of the emperor.
The ''imaginifer'' was added to the ranks of the legions when the Imperial cult was first estab ...
* Vexillarius
left, A reenactor, equipped as a ''vexillifer'', with a ''vexillum'' standard
Vexillarius is a term referring to one of several distinct types of Roman soldier.
A vexillarius or vexillifer was one of the ''signiferi'' in a Roman legion. His dut ...
Notes
References
* * * *External links
The Draco, the Late Roman military standard
Military ranks of ancient Rome Ancient Roman titles Military history of Dacia {{dacia-stub