The Signum was the standard of a cohort (10 cohorts in a legion) or maniple (3 maniples in a cohort). The designated person that carried this standard was called the “Signifer.” The standard was carried at the head of the formation while marching. This standard was carried by the individual legionary century units of each their legion. Each century had it’s own unique Signum. The standard had a certain number of disks, called philarae, and other symbols on the pole. Each Signum contained 1-6 philarae and each disk was thought to represent how many centuries were in the cohort. At the top of every Signum was either a spear head or the “Manus,” which was a human hand image. The Manus is said to name the first century of a formation containing two centuries, also known as a maniple. The spear head would label the second century of the maniple. Above the philarae region was a plate containing the unit title. A Signum also had tassels on each side of the pole, similar to those of the Vexillum. Sometimes, a wreath would be placed around the Manus or spear head, which represented some type of award or honor.