The Draco standard

[diegis]

Diegis,

These images mean nothing. There is so much animalistic artworks around Europe and Asia of this very kind, it's impossible to use these as direct evidence for the "presence of draco-like symbilism in Dacia since the Bronze Age". Look at Scuthian artwork for instance. Sure, this is present in the area of Dacia during the Bronze Age, but it's also present in other areas during that same period.
Reasoning like that, we can find 'draco-like symbolism' all over the Near East to the Far East! They are just animal heads on jewellery. Not proof of the origin of the draco only in Dacia during the Bronze Age.

Well, I am not sure what similar artefacts that are of similar age old was found, but I will be glad to saw them. I know Scythians had zoomorphic elements in their arts, as other people too, but I dont know if we can talk about Scythians in Bronze Age.
As far as I know Thracians was the first indo-european people individualized among indo-europeans.

You can possibly prove either of that.
I mean, I would go as far as to agree that the Romans most probably came into contact with Dacian windsocks (I won't call them dracones because Dacians also used other animal heads for them, like wolves), but it goes to far to say that 'therefore' the Romans only knew Dacian windsocks. The very fact that the Romans only used the dragon as animal for their windsocks (instead of other animals) must also mean something. We know that other cultures used the windsock, and it's just as logical to assume that the Romans knew Dacians using them, as to assume that the Romans knew other tribes using them. Such as Roxolani, Sarmatae, Massagetae (whom I think were assumed by ancient authors to belong to 'the Getae' but not the same as the Dacians).

Well, I am not sure that the original "draco" (lets stick with this name as a cover for all such type of standards) was a simple windsock. I mean, it is plausible to have had a religious meaning too, or to be a symbol similar with a totemic one and so on.
Roman legions used eagles/aquila as such, some had different animals picted on their vexiliums.

Soma ancient authors said that the "draco" make a sound when the wind goes thru it, so it may play a similar role with trumpets, drums or battle cries.

We dont know for sure either if Romans used other animal heads for their "draco" as just one piece was found.
They probably knew at some point that others beside Dacians/Getae use such standards, but it seem that they related most close this symbol with Dacians in their depictions, both on imperial art or on coins.

The Sarmatian cavalry depicted in couple scenes on the Column dont use a "draco" for example, which is used exclusevly by Dacians, many times by infantry or posted on the walls of some Dacian fortress