Πολεμικοί ελέφαντες εις τους ελληνιστικούς στρατούς
Part of : Πλάτων : περιοδικό της Εταιρείας Ελλήνων Φιλολόγων ; Vol.ΚΖ, No.53-54, 1975, pages 130-146
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130-146
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War elephants of the Hellenistic Period
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This article which describes how elephants were used during the Hellenistic Period for war purposes, is an historical study dealing with their decivive contribution to the final issue of the battles of that period. For the first time in history war elephants were used systematically by the successors of Alexander the Great. A description is given of how the armies used them to terrify their enemies. Because of their bulk, the elephants, in several cases when they retreated, were disastrous for their own battle array as they swept aside everything during their retreat. This description is based on historical sources. There is, also, an interesting account of the specific measures the armies used to take when they had been warned that the enemy possessed war elephants. The reader understands how war elephants were the cause of victory for the side that used them successfully in the most important battles of the Hellenistic period. Also, the fact that at the time of Antiochus, the third, coins with war elephants carved on them were minted, proves the outstanding importance which war elephants were considered to have during those years. One can observe that the elephants on those coins had a small tower on their back within which were warriors wearing the macedonian hood (or petassos). The writer makes clear the important role elephants that were trained for war had in the battles of the period in question, especially when both sides used them. In that case the winner was usually the one that was in possession of not only larger numbers of these beats but also those that were trained best for war.
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