Employing war elephants

[philsidnell]

Hi Phil,

[Well, if you reaad Rance's article (Rance, Philip (2003): Elephants in Warfare in Late Antiquity, in: Acta Ant. Hung. 43, pp. 355-84), that's his conclusion - elephants were not so much used as shock troops but far more as command- or other platforms, or even in siege warfare.

I confess that I haven't read that article and also that my knowledge of the later period is less solid than for the Hellenistic/Republican Roman period, for which I think I have read most of the relevant ancient sources (but not modern interpretations/theories). But even for the late period, Ammianus describing the Persians outside Ctesiphon says of the elephants that 'their huge bodies threatened destruction to all who approached , and past experience had taught us to dread them' - doesn't sound like his experience was of seeing them at the back directing operations or adding a couple of archers each to the already high volume of Persian firepower.

In the battle in which Julian was killed he says the Roman left 'gave way because our men could not stand the smell and noise of the elephants...' but the situation was saved by Julian and some light infantry who 'took the offensive, hacking at the backs and legs of the Persians and their monstrous beasts as they turned tail' - which you could argue shows that elephants were in the thick of the fighting.

After Julian fell, the Persians then counterattacked 'and the elephants, who came on slowly in front of them, struck terror into man and beast by their immense size and the plumes crowning their awful heads'

And again during the Roman strategic withdrawal:

'the Persians attacked with the elephants in front. At first their smell and the horror of their approach threw horses and men into confusion, but the Joviani and Herculiani killed a few of the brutes...'

So at least one army of Late Antiquity was still using them to lead assaults, which is a pretty good definition of a shock role.

Would be interested to read that article and learn what evidence he puts forth.

Phil Sidnell