Elephant of war
See also: Elephant (homonymy)
The elephant S of war were an important weapon, although little spread, in the military history of Antiquity. Their principal use is to trample the adversaries and to break their rows, but also to frighten the cavalry. The elephants of war were exclusively male, because they were faster and more aggressive than the females.
History
Origins of the elephants of war
The domestication of the elephant, which should not be included/understood like a synonym of domestication, probably started in the valley of Indus towards 2000 av. J. - C. Of the pets, like the cow or the dog, are born in captivity and are subjected to a selective multiplication. On the other hand the elephants, probably because of their inconstant character, the expenditure caused for their food and their rather slow growth (fifteen years are necessary to an animal to reach the adulthood), apart from very rare exceptions, were always captured in nature then tamed. The goal of the first captures is to find a help in the agricultural tasks. Then the military application of the elephants, mentioned in several anthems in Sanskrit came. Since the India, the use of the elephants of war starts to migrate towards the Persian Empire, perhaps starting from the reign of Cyrus Large the at sixth century BC, when the conquest of the Gandhâra (valley Kabul and Western Pânjab) makes it possible the Achéménides to control trade route going towards India. Thereafter, at the end of the 6th century, Darius I {{er}} entrepend a forwarding in the valley of the Indus, which would have made it possible Persians to acquire elephants of war. At the time of Darius III, last king achéménide overcome by Alexandre, Persians do not have territories where elephants in a natural state live: Pânjab is become again independent and what remains Indian provinces is attached to the satrapies Bactriane and of Arachosie. One can consequently suppose that at the time of Darius III, Persians acquired some elephants near Indian princes. The elephants of Persians are then equipped like the elephants with the Indian armies, with only one combatant assembled with - califourchon. The addition of turns on the back of the elephants, true military revolution, returns according to Paul Goukowsky to the Séleucides towards 300 - 280 before J. - C. Neither the Indians, neither Persians, nor the armies of Alexandre thus know the use of the tower.
At the time of Alexandre and hellenistic monarchies
The Battle of Gaugamèles (331 av. J. - C.) which opposes Darius III to Alexandre Large the, is the first confrontation of Europeans with elephants of war. The fifteen mastodons, placed at the center of the Persian lines, make a so great impression on the troops Macedonians, that Alexandre feels the need for sacrificing before the battle to Nyx, the goddess of the fear. For as much the elephants do not play any notable, or known role, in the course of the battle, all the Persian center, of which Darius, being put in rout by the attack of the cavalry Macedonian. After the conquest of Persia, Alexandre included/understood the interest to use the elephants and a certain number in its army incorporated some although they do not take share with the battles in India. In 326, at the time of the Battle of Hydaspe, the troops Macedonians are seen opposite for the first time at imposing of troop of 200 caparaçonnés elephants. The battle is of a great violence, the horses of the cavalry Macedonian, very nervous, refuse to face the elephants but the infantry comes to end by targeting the mahouts; on 200 elephants aligned by the king Pôros, one estimates that only half survived. Alexandre was idealized as a winner of the “monsters” of India. On the “décadrachme of Pôros”, struck under the reign of Alexandre towards 323 av. J. - C., one can see Pôros perched on an elephant to hold up a lance towards Alexandre who continues it with horse. On a currency struck under the reign of Ptolémée {{Ier}}, Alexandre is capped skin of an elephant, symbol of his victory in India.
In the continuity of Alexandre, the Greek sovereigns of the hellenistic time adopt this weapon of war. In 301 av. J-C. with the Battle of Ipsos, regarded as the greatest battle of elephants of Antiquity (at least not Indian), Séleucos I {{er}} aligns against Antigone One-eyed the a troop of 400 elephants, obtained thanks to a peace treaty with the Indian prince Chandragupta Maurya. It places the mass of its elephants in support of the infantry; what enables him to prevent the unfavourable cavalry to take it with reverse and to gain a great victory. With the battles of Raffia in 217, Ptolémée IV has 73 African elephants and Antiochos III of 102 Indian elephants. It is the only battle of Antiquity where Africa and Indian elephants clashed in great number. The two adversaries divide their troops of elephants into two bodies laid out on the wings in order to support the cavalry; the Indian elephants being larger and more aggressive than their congeneric African (they are elephants of the forests), the elephants of Antiochos put in rout the elephants of Ptolémée V, but that is not enough for him to overcome its adversary. Under the Séleucides and the Lagides, the elephants are covered with an armor and a tower is placed on the back of the animal carrying two to four riflemen. The mahout remains him with - califourchon on the neck of the animal.
The military use of the elephants was spread all over the world hellenistic as from fourth century BC. At the same time the Carthaginois start to tame the African elephants of savanna with a military aim; the Numides make in the same way with the African elephant of the forests.
At the time of Hannibal and Romans
At third century BC, the use of the elephants of war in Occident is made mainly against the Roman République. Battle of Héraclée gained by Pyrrhus (280) with the famous crossing of the the Alps (218) by Hannibal during the Second Punic War, the elephants terrify the Roman legions (Bataille of Trébie). But on the one hand, the majority of the elephants die of cold, on the other hand the Romains rather quickly find a manner of facing the dangerous loads of the elephants. When the troops of Hannibal are confined in the south of Italy, the Roman armies on several occasions on the occasion to seize elephants of war. Thus, during the last battle of Hannibal, with Zama in 202), the load is ineffective because the Romans leave them the passage quite simply by opening their rows.
One century and half later, with the Battle of Thapsus, in 46 av. J. - C., Jules César arms his fifth legion (Alaudae) with axes and orders with its legionaries to strike the animal with the legs. The legion thus supports the load and the elephant becomes its symbol.
At the time of Parthes and Sassanides
The Parthes, which dominate the Perse and the Mésopotamie of IIe front century J. - C. in IIIe century a. J. - C., occasionally employed elephants of war against the Roman Empire, but it is only with Persians Sassanides starting from IIIe century that the elephants of war occupy a dominating strategic place. The mastodons quasi-systématiquement were quasi-systématiquement used in the fights against the Western enemies and this more only in order to impress. The elephants became a real deterrent force, if it is not the first in front of the cavalry. The most memorable battle where was implemented this strategy is that of Vartanantz (451) during which the elephants of Yazdgard II crushed the Armenian rebellion. Another famous Persian battle where the elephants played a key part, is the Al-Qādisiyyah battle, which opposed them this time Ci to the Arab cavalry. This one triumphed only thanks to one skilful subterfuge (the ornament of the horses was to frighten the elephants), and with a convenient sandstorm. The paralysis of the elephants involved a defeat which will ring the knell of the Persian Empire.
At the time medieval
During the medieval time, the use of the elephants of war was abandoned. These animals are not present any more on the European battle fields only on rare occasions. It was the case when Charlemagne used its elephant, Aboul-Abbas, offered by the caliph Haroun rear-Rachid, to fight the Danish in 804, or when the Croisades give to Frederic {{II}} the possibility of capturing a Holy Land elephant, elephant which is used later during the catch of Crémone in 1214.
In 1398, the army of Tamerlan must face more than one hundred Indian elephants during the last important battle where they are employed. It is claimed that Tamerlan would have made hang straw ignited with the tail of camels which it would have launched against the elephants. The latter, frightened by the flames, would have been turned over and crushed their own troops. Later, the Mongolian chief employs these animals against the Ottoman Empire.
With the arrival of the firearms, towards the end of the 15th century, the elephants of war became an obsolete weapon of load which can be easily dispersed by a shooting of gun.
Tactical use
The elephants could be employed with a great number of military tasks. They could carry heavy loads and provide useful means of transport. They could be also employed as torturers, while crushing condemned. During battles, the elephants of war were usually deployed in the center of the line of attack where they could be useful to stop a load or to begin theirs.
A load of elephant can reach some 30 km/h and it is difficult to stop with only Infanterie. Its power rests on the rough force and fear that an animal of several tons (5 tons for the Indian elephants, 7,5 tons for the African elephants of savanna) can inspire in the enemy lines. The assembled units were not sure either, because the horses which were not accustomed to the odor of the elephants panicked easily, breaking the effectiveness of the cavalry. It was also extremely difficult to kill or neutralize the elephants. The other side of the coin was their own tendency to panic after several wounds or when their mahout had been killed, and to make retirement in a way if disorganized that it could inflict heavy losses with their own troops. The mahouts had of a blade or a mallet and a chisel to strike between the ears an elephant made furious.
At the time of the Punic Wars, the elephants of war of the Carthaginois were heavily protected by a form from armor and carried on their back a tower sheltering a crew of three men, archers and/or men armed with long pikes (Sarisse S). The elephants of war of the species of the forests, much smaller than their cousins of savannas or India, were not enough strong to transport a tower and were overlapped only by two or three men, plus the driver of the animal which was generally Numide.
The ignited pigs were effective weapons against the elephants, as Pline brings it back Old the in the Natural history : “the elephants are frightened by the smallest acute cry of a pig” (VIII, 1.27). Thus, a seat of Mégare was raised when the inhabitants of this city Attique poured olive oil ignited on a herd of pigs to force it with ruer on the pachyderms of the enemy. The elephants over-excited by the pigs terrified and themselves in catch with the fear disorganized the lines of the attacker causing the rout.
See too
- List of battles implying of the Animal elephants of war
- of war