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The Dacian Draco was the standard of the ancient
Dacian military. It had a wolf head with the mouth open, with a snake
body, made out of bronze and it ended with some linen stripes. It was
put on a rod and if held in the air while galloping, it made a
whistling sound, due to the air which entered the wolf's mouth.
The draco was originally developed by the
Sarmatians and Alans, cavalry peoples of the steppes. The earliest
evidence of the Draco in Dacia was found on 4th century BC pottery
discovered in the Prahova county of Romania. On Trajan's Column the Dacian
soldiers are often represented carrying a Dacian Draco: there are no
less than 20 representations of the Draco. The only copy left was found
in Germany, which, was probably a trophy won by the Roman troops from the
wars with the Dacians. After the Dacian wars the draco was adopted by
Roman cavalry.
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