Expert: Conrad T. Jalowski - 2/12/2008

Question
QUESTION: From Wikipedia and other sources, I've learned that the elephants used by Hannibal in his campaign against Rome were North African forest elephants (a now extinct sub-species), but how did they get to Europe (i.e. Spain) in the first place?

ANSWER: Thank you for the question, it is a great honor to help others with their most perplexing questions. Your answer will be expanded to included the use of war elephants during antiquity to the best of my current knowledge of classical history.

Alexander III 'the Great' of Macedonia managed to amalgamate the Paeonians, Odryasians, Olynthians, Phocians, Eubeoans, Boeotians, Taulantinians, Autariatians, Triballians, Getae, Syrmians to his conglomeration of his great army. After imposing Macedonian hegemonial powers at the Amphictyonic Synhedrion and creating a symmachia or an offensive and defensive alliance with the autochthonous or natives of the Grecian promontory, and the subjugation of the Thracian and Illyrian tribes at Lyginus: 335 BCE, he crossed the Hellespont to begin his anabasis to the Outer Ocean through the Persian Empire. Alexander III went on to fight at Granicus: 334 BCE, Issus: 3333 BCE, the poliorcetics of New Tyre: 332-331 BCE, Gaza: 331 BCE, Guagamela or Arbela: 331 BCE, the Jaxartes inimical to the Scythians and at the Hydaspes River: 326 BCE. Guagamela was the first recorded European encounter with war elephants. At Arbela, Alexander had 28,687 phalangists or pezhetairoi in the tetraphalangiarchy. Furthermore, he had 8,192 prodromoi or light cavalry, peltasts and acontists as skirmishers, adscititious or auxiliary forces such as the gastraphetes or the "belly-bow" men and the psiloi and rorarii. Furthermore, Alexander III had the tagmata and doryphoroi or the royal soldiers consisting of the hypaspists. His contignents totaled 45,000 soldiers. The Medio-Achaemenids or the Persians had 250,000 soldiers consisting of the velites and kardakes as auxiliary and the main array of soldiers, the kataphractoi or heavy cavalry from the satrapies of Bactria, Sogdiana, Ferghana and Arachosia. The main autochthonous tribes came from Media and Pasargadae. Darius III of the Persians also had a gargantuan navy along Halicarnassus, Mysia, Lydia, Lycia between the Propontis Sea and the Euxine Sea, and the Propontic autarchies of Selymbria, Perinthus and Byzantium which provided allied Grecian mercenaries. (The Grecians desired autonomy and would later fight in the Lamian War or the Hellenic War culminating at Crannon: 322 BCE. They would join a loose confederation of the Chremonidean and later become ditrichotomous or divided into two: the Aetolian League and the Achean League through which Antigonus II Gonatus, Demetrius II, Antigonus III Doson, Philip V, Perseus, Diaeous, Critolaus, Damocritus and Andriscus would have trouble fully subjugating and establishing Macedonian suzerainty.)

During the Diadochoi/Epigonoi Wars or the Wars of the "Successors" from 322-320 BCE, 319-315 BCE. 314-311 BCE and 308-281 BCE of the battles of Paraitacene, Gabiene, Gaza, Salamis, Rhodes, Ipsus and Corupedium, Leonnatus lost his life during the Lamian War, Neoptolemus and Craterus were subjugated and slain by Eumenes of Cardia. Perdiccas was slain by Peithon and Seleucus I 'Nicator'. The next phase constitutes Polysperchon and Eumenes of Cardia inimical to Antigonus I 'Monopthalmus', Demetrius I 'Poliorcetes', Lysiamchus, Cassander, Ptolemy I Lagi or 'Soter' and Peucestus. The third phase consitutes Seleucus I 'Nicator' exchanging his satrapies of Paropamisidae, Arachosia, and Gandhara for 500 pachyderms from Sandracottus or Chandragupta Maurya. At this phase, Seleucus I 'Nicator', Lysimachus, Ptolemy I Lagi, and Cassander defeated Antigonus I 'Monopthalmus', Demetrius I 'Polirocetes', and Pyrrhus of Epirus. The next phase constitutes Pyrrhus of Epirus, Ptolemy Lagi, and Lysimachus defeating Demetrius I 'Poliorcetes' thus depriving him of Cyprus and the Amphictyonic Synhedrion through which he was hegemon and suzerain. Demetrius promulgated onto himself to be Lord of Asia and Europe and wore the double crown of those two continents. He wore purple robes to distinguish himself as a sun among scintillating stars. The final phase consists of Seleucus I 'Nicator' subjugating Lysimachus, the Overlord of Thrace, Anatolia and Macedonia until his death to Ptolemy Ceraunus. Pyrrhus of Epirus campaigned in the west at Heraclea: 280 BCE, Ausculum: 279 BCE, Lilybaeum: 278 BCE and Beneventum: 275 BCE. He had 22,500 phalangists, 2,000 funditores or slingers, 3,000 heavy cavalry or cataphracts and 20 war elephants. The main characteristic of Hellenistic warfare along with Libyo-Phoenician or Carthaginian warfare was the use of pachyderms. The autarchies of the Far East such as Graeco-Bactria: 250-125 BCE and the Indo-Greek: 180 BCE-10 CE Despotate utilized pachyderms under the dynasties of the Diodotid: 250-230 BCE, Euthydemid: 230-170 BCE and Eucratid: 170-125 BCE. Demetrius I 'Aniketos' wore an elephant scalp as a symbol of his Indian subjugations and Menander I 'Soter' spread cultural syncretism and synoecism, and proselytized himself to the Buddhist faith. The power of the sovereigns was absolute- proskynesis was practiced before them. Here was a brief history of the use of war elephants throughout history. As for your initial question, the elephants were simply transported to Spain, and the cleruchies and peripherals of the Carthaginian Empire.

I hope this has helped you in your research,

         Conrad Jalowski


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: The timing/mechanics/route of how the elephants were "simply transported" was really the crux of my question, but you're extensive answer leads me to a couple of additional questions:
1) Did Alexander III use African or Asian elephants?
2) Were the African elephants used in Europe generally resupplied from Africa or were they bred in Europe?

Answer
First of all, I hope that the lengthy explanation has helped you in your research. I am also ebullient that my explanation has sparked additional questions, as I am honored to be of help.

Alexander III 'Eupator' in his great anabasis and then katabasis, used Asian elephants recruited from the satrapies and princelets of Sogdiana, Tapuria, Traxiane, Hyrcania, Hecatompylus, Bactria, Ferghana, Paropamisidae, Arachosia, Gandhara, the Punjab, Mathura, and eventually all the way to Pataliputra under the hegemony of Menander I 'Soter'. About the Asian elephants they were used extensively by the Seleucidae stratocracy: 312-65 BCE. Under the reign of Antiochus III 'Eupator', 66,000 phalangists, 4,600 kataphractoi in Anatolia such as Cilicia, Cardia, Pontus and Bithynia were recruited, as well as Thrace which was claimed by Seleucus I 'Nicator' after his subjugation of Lysimachus at Corupedium: 281 BCE. The autarchies of Selymbria, Perinthus and Byzantium along with possession of the Hellespontine Phrygia would allow a maritime supremacy within the Propontic Sea and the Euxine Sea. In Coele-Syria, Antiochus III 'Eupator' could conscript 42,000 phalangists, 8,000-8,500 kataphractoi and multitudinous adscititious such as the psiloi, acontists, velites, rorarii, peltasts and the agranians. The Seleucids at Thermopylae: 191 BCE, Eurymedon: 191 BCE, Myonessus: 191 BCE and Magnesia: 190 BCE fought against Rome but were subjugated. Attalus Pergamus expanded in size over Lydia, Lycia, Mysia, Pisidia, Ephesus, Cibyrrhaeot, etc. Under the reigns of despots such as Seleucus I 'Nicator', Antiochus I 'Soter', Antiochus II 'Theos', Seleucus II Callinicus, Antiochus III 'Eupator', Seleucus III Soter 'Ceraunus',  Seleucus IV 'Philopater', Antiochus IV 'Epiphanes', Demetrius I 'Soter', Antiochus V 'Eupator', Alexander Balas, Antiochus VII Eurgetes 'Sidetes', Demetrius II 'Nicator' of Syria, Diodotus Tryphon, etc war elephants were used.

As for the second part of the question, African elephants were simply resupplied from Africa to individual despotates for military use, such as the Antipatrid (from Antipater to Sosthenes) and Antigonid: 323-146 BCE Kingdoms as well as Pyrrhus of Epirus.  

Thank you,
        
         Conrad Jalowski