Draco (military standard)

The draco ("dragon" or "serpent", plural dracones) was a military standard of the Roman cavalry. Carried by the draconarius, the draco was the standard of the cohort, as the eagle (aquila) was that of the legion.

The draco may have been introduced to the Roman army after the Dacian wars by Dacian, and Sarmatian units in the second century. According to Vegetius, in the fourth century a draco was carried by each legionary cohort.