• Home
  • About
  • Become a contributor
  • Contact

DisputedPast

A history blog with the latest from the past
  • News
    • Archaeology
    • Art
    • Biography
    • Espionage
    • Government
    • Religion
    • Sexuality
    • Society
    • Technology
    • War
  • Scrutinized
  • Documentaries
  • Reviews

Ancient war elephant mystery solved

05 March 2014 by Jan Huisman in Antiquity News War - No Comments

At a certain point, anybody who studies the Antiquities will encounter them: war-elephants. They played a major role in ancient warfare, most notably in Hannibals’ crossing of the Alps (218 BC) as he attacked Rome (how many elephants actually survived this remarkable feat seems questionable). One documented ancient battle featured a match-up between the big African elephant and its smaller cousin, the Asian elephant. This remarkable event took place on June 22, 217 BC., at the Battle of Raphia near Gaza, as the pharaoh of Egypt, Ptolemy IV fought the Greek king Antiochus III.

Battle between the Asian and African elephant?

Ptolemy won the battle, but his elephants, according to contemporary historian Polybius were afraid of their Asian adversaries – because they were larger. This seems contradictory to our biological knowledge, because the Asian elephant we know, are smaller than African elephants. So whats up with there fighting ancestors? New research has the answer: Ptolemy wasn’t using African elephants at all. He actually used Eritrean elephant, since this was the only pool he had access to. Eritrean elephants are smaller, more fragile, and today nearly extinct.

Polybius’ depiction of the bloody battle between the elephants

Polybius graphically describes this battle between the beasts in his Histories:

A few only of Ptolemy’s elephants ventured to close with those of the enemy, and now the men in the towers on the back of these beasts made a gallant fight of it, striking with their pikes at close quarters and wounding each other, while the elephants themselves fought still better, putting forth their whole strength and meeting forehead to forehead. The way in which these animals fight is as follows. With their tusks firmly interlocked they shove with all their might, each trying to force the other to give ground, until the one who proves strongest pushes aside the other’s trunk, and then, when he has once made him turn and has him in the flank, he gores him with his tusks as a bull does with his horns. Most of Ptolemy’s elephants, however, declined the combat, as is the habit of African elephants; for unable to stand the smell and the trumpeting of the Indian elephants, and terrified, I suppose, also by their great size and strength, they at once turn tail and take to flight before they get near them.

Source: Sciencenews.org

 

 

ancient warfare
  • pinterest
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • google
  • linkedin
  • stumbleupon

Jan Huisman

Previous Story
1,400 year old Saxon burial found in Haddenham, England
Next Story
Unearthed bones show Edinburgh's history as center of anatomical research

Related Posts

  • The earliest pet-cats came from China
  • Book Review: Cold Case Kennedy
  • We owe our immune system to the Neanderthals
  • Our ancestors hunted and gathered far longer than assumed
  • NSA’s long history of illegal eavesdropping
  • Why ‘War Generation’ is strongly criticized in America
  • What did the real Jesus look like?

Leave a Comment

Cancel reply

Support this website by liking it on Social Media!

History news by Time Period

  • » Pre history
  • » Antiquities
  • » Middle ages
  • » Early modern age
  • » Modern age

Most read today

Newly added documentaries

  • Kings and Queens of England

    Get yourself comfortable and watch this 4,5 hour…

  • British Pathé shows a wide range of historical footage

    If you like old news footage you definitely have…

  • The real white queen and her rivals

    The Wars of the Roses raged through England from…

  • Henry VII: the Winter King

    Henry VII was the first Tudor-monarch of England.…

  • Henry VIII: The mind of a Tyrant

    Henry VIII is more than a historical figure: he…

  • Women and religion

    Another great documentary by Bettany Hughes.This…

  • Fire and Ice: The winter war

    The Winter War between Finland and Russia had a…

  • The Spanish Civil War

    The Spanish Civil War is regarded as the prelude…

Featured

  • What did the real Jesus look like?

    Our image of Jesus is that of a bearded, masculine figure. A man in agony, hanging on the cross, crucified for the sins of humanity. This rather gloomy presence is quite different in comparison to the Jesus from early Christianity. This original image of Christ is much debated lately, mainly… Read full history →

Scrutinized

  • The hunt for Germany’s nazi-criminals continues: 6000 suspects await investigation

    The leading executive of Germany’s center for nazi-crimes expects that about a dozen former concentration camp thugs are to be arrested. Chief attorney Kurt Schrimm told the Deutsche Presse Agentur (dap) the authorities are working on a list with all the guards at Auschwitz, 6,000 in number. Schrimm heads the center for nazi-crimes and he and 19 employees are on… Read full history →

Featured documentaries

  • The top 5 best history documentary series

    There are so many good history documentaries out there – and lots of crappy ones as well. As a historian and documentary lover, I watched a lot historical documentaries. Good ones. And many bad ones. This list is about the first group.True history documentaries, made by historians. Other criteria are… Read full history →

www.DisputedPast.com - A history blog with the latest from the past * Terms of service *