Draco (military standard)

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A draco was a Roman cavalry military standard borne by a draconarius. Thought to have originated with the Dacians, it took the form of a gaping dragon's head and mouth formed from cast metal, to the end of which was attached a 'body' of cloth or silk fabric in the form of a windsock. When charging, the body would billow out behind the head. It is also thought that the draco was sometimes fitted with a whistle of some form, since there are descriptions of it making a howling sound when borne into battle.

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