African War Elephants

Classical man was first exposed to the Elephant as an instrument of war at the time of the invasion of India by Alexander the Great at the battle of Hydaspes (the Jhelum R.) against the Indian king Porus.

Seleucus who led the infantry attack against them was greatly impressed by their prowess and upon Alexander's death and his inheritance of Persia and the east set he immediately began equipping his army with elephants from India

As the Diadochi (the successors of Alexander) began to fight amongst themselves the widespread benefit of elephants was soon recognized by all of them. As Seleucids had a monopoly of elephants from India, Ptolemy II of Egypt and Carthage began the capture and training of African elephants (around 285BC). The Ptolemy source was from Eritrea and Ethiopia while the Carthagians sourced their elepahnts from the forests at the foot of the Atlas mountains.

There is only one known instance of the Ptolematic African elephant being used in a war against the Indian elephant and that was at the battle of Raphia (near Gaza) in 217 BC between Ptolemy IV and Antiochus III and is accounted by Polybius. He maintains that the African elephant refused to face the Indian elephants of Antiochus III and that the African elephant was inferior in size and strength to the Indian.

Carthage first used the African elephant against Rome in 262BC during the first Punic war when Hanno took 50 elephants to Sicily in an attempt to raise the siege of Agrigentum. This was a disaster with the Carthagians routed and the Romans capturing most of the elephants.

The second showing of the African elephants 7 years later at the battle of Tunis met with more success for the Carthagians this time comanded by the Spartian general Xanthippus. With the elephants charging the Roman centre packed in close formation and ended with the Roman army being practically annihilated between the trampling elephants and the flanking Carthagian cavalry.

The third encounter was at Panormus (Paermo) in 250BC where the African elephants were used by Hasdrubal to attack a fortified position.This ended in disaster with the elephants paniking and trampling the Carthagian force following up.

Between the first and second Punic wars the Carthagians made successful use of the elephants in suppressing the revolt of the mercenary troops and with their occupation of Spain where they faced relatively undisciplined troops.

There next big engagements was in Hannibal's invasion of Italy in 219BC where he first used them in the battle of Trebia against the Roman cavalry whose horse refused to face them. Unfortunately one year later there was only 1 of the original 40 elephant left, the toll of crossing the alps in the end to much for them. With victory in Cannae Hannibal was able to receive 40 more elephants through the port of Locri which were used in the battle of Capua.

Hasdrubal in his ill-fated attempt to reinforce his brother brought according to Polybius had 10 elephants with him. They ended up being more of a hindrance than an advantage, with 6 of the 10 having to be killed by their mahouts as they became a liability.

The final battle of the second Punic wars at Zama in 202BC, between Scipio and Hannibal also saw the African elephant in action. According to Livy Hannibal had 80 elephant at his command. Scipio was up to the task and was able to rout the elephants with skirmishes and trumpets, with Scipio winning the battle and the war. As part of the peace settlement Carthage had to hand over all its elephants refrain from training any more. This was not the end of the African elephants in battle, as in 198BC Rome used the captured elephants against Philip of Macedonia, where they were used with great effect against the close spaced Macedonian phalanx.

They appeared again in Magnesia in 190BC but were kept in the reserve and not used, according to Livy, because Antiochus the Great had Indian elephants in his army and the Romans were aware of the inferiority of the African elephant. They were to see action again in the battle of Pydna in 168BC against Perseus, king of Macedonia, where African elephants sent by Masinissa of Numida fought along side Indian elephants (captured at Magnesia)

It was to be many years before the African elephant was to appear again in a major battle and this was at the battle of Thapsus, Hirtius puts the number at 64, supplied by King Juba of Numidia. Julius Caesar was able to rout the elephants early during the battle with skirmishes targeting the mahouts, causing chaos in the enemies ranks as the elephants were riderless.

There are stories that Claudius used African elephants in his invasion of Britain in 43AD.With Dio Cassius mentioning that elephants were included in preparations for use in the expedition, this time the elephants were probably being supplied by Juba II..