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.[1]
The draco may have been introduced to the Roman army after the Dacian wars by Dacian, and Sarmatian units in the second century.[citation needed] According to Vegetius, in the fourth century a draco was carried by each legionary cohort.[2]