A signifer was a standard bearer of the Roman legions. He carried a signum (standard) for a cohort or century. The signum he carried was the military emblem of that unit. It was composed of a number of philarae (disks), along with a number of other elements mounted on a pole, topped with a leaf-shaped spear head or a manus (human hand) image. It sometimes included a representation of a wreath, probably denoting an honor or award.

In the Roman Republic the term signifer probably applied to all standard bearers, but in the Empire the signifer was just one of a number of types of signiferi, which also included aquilifers, imaginifers, duplicarii, vexillarii and draconarii.

See also

• Aquilifer
• Imaginifer
• Vexillarius
• Draconarius
• Guide-on