Draconarius
Encyclopedia
For the spider genus in the family Amaurobiidae, see : Draconarius (genus).
The draconarius was a type of signiferi
who bore a cavalry standard known as a draco
in the Roman army
.
usage, and was applied to the bearer of the labarum
in battle, and also to cross-bearers in church processions.
, 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. Probably Dacian 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
. It is thought that some form of whistle was mounted in the dragon's neck to make a terrifying noise when galloping.
The draconarius was a type of signiferi
Signiferi
The signiferi of the Roman legions were the ranks entrusted with various tasks to do with standard-bearing. Early in the Roman Republic the single rank signifer performed all these tasks but later in the Empire the tasks became more specialist with different ranks created for specific tasks,...
who bore a cavalry standard known as a draco
Draco (military standard)
A draco was a Roman cavalry military standard borne by a draconarius. It was the standard of the cohort as the eagle was that of the legion. In Europe, the dragon was originally a Dacian emblem...
in the Roman army
Roman army
The Roman army is the generic term for the terrestrial armed forces deployed by the kingdom of Rome , the Roman Republic , the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine empire...
.
Name
Strictly speaking, the word draconarius denotes the bearer of the military standard on which a dragon was represented. The term passed into ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
usage, and was applied to the bearer of the labarum
Labarum
The labarum was a vexillum that displayed the "Chi-Rho" symbol ☧, formed from the first two Greek letters of the word "Christ" — Chi and Rho . It was used by the Roman emperor Constantine I...
in battle, and also to cross-bearers in church processions.
Dragon ensign
From the conquered DaciansDacians
The Dacians were an Indo-European people, very close or part of the Thracians. Dacians were the ancient inhabitants of Dacia...
, the Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
in Trajan
Trajan
Trajan , was Roman Emperor from 98 to 117 AD. Born into a non-patrician family in the province of Hispania Baetica, in Spain Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in Spain, in 89 Trajan supported the emperor against...
's time borrowed the dragon ensign
Dacian Draco
The Dacian Draco was the standard and ensign of troops of the ancient Eastern European Dacian people, which can be seen in the hands of the soldiers of Decebalus in several scenes depicted on Trajan's Column in Rome, Italy. It has the form of a dragon with open wolf-like jaws containing several...
which became the standard of the cohort as the eagle was that of the legion. Probably Dacian in origin, the draco was later generally introduced in the fourth century as a Roman standard.
It consisted of a bronze
Bronze
Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive. It is hard and brittle, and it was particularly significant in antiquity, so much so that the Bronze Age was named after the metal...
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
Windsock
A windsock is a conical textile tube designed to indicate wind direction and relative wind speed. Windsocks typically are used at airports and at chemical plants where there is risk of gaseous leakage...
. It is thought that some form of whistle was mounted in the dragon's neck to make a terrifying noise when galloping.
See also
- Dacian DracoDacian DracoThe Dacian Draco was the standard and ensign of troops of the ancient Eastern European Dacian people, which can be seen in the hands of the soldiers of Decebalus in several scenes depicted on Trajan's Column in Rome, Italy. It has the form of a dragon with open wolf-like jaws containing several...
- Draco (military standard)Draco (military standard)A draco was a Roman cavalry military standard borne by a draconarius. It was the standard of the cohort as the eagle was that of the legion. In Europe, the dragon was originally a Dacian emblem...
- Dacian warfareDacian warfareThe 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. It concerns the armed conflicts of the Dacian tribes and their kingdoms in the Balkans...
- AquiliferAquiliferAn aquilifer was a senior 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 104 BC. Before that time, the wolf, boar, bull and horse were also used...
- SigniferSigniferA signifer was a standard bearer of the Roman legions. He carried a signum for a cohort or century. Each century had a signifer and within each cohort the first century's signifer would be the senior....
- ImaginiferImaginiferThe 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 established during the reign of Augustus. The imago was a three...
- VexillariusVexillariusThe Vexillarius can mean one of three things:First, a Vexillarius or Vexillifer was one of the signiferi in a Roman legion. His duty was to carry the Vexillum, a military standard displaying the name and emblem of the legion. This standard consisted of a woven fabric banner, hung on a crossbar...