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The Mûmakil Elephant Slayers Of The Ancient World

The Mûmakil Elephant Slayers Of The Ancient World

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In the ancient world elephants were worshiped as divine symbols, harbingers of good luck and the carriers of wisdom, but they were also deployed to intimidate opposing armies and as highly-influential tools of diplomacy. Perhaps the most archetypal image of elephants in the old world occurred around 331 BC when Alexander the Great’s army encountered war elephants as they swept westwards from Persia into India. Alexander defeated the Indian ruler Porus at the river Jhelum, in present-day Pakistan, who was said to have controlled 100,000 war elephants in his army.

The phalanx attacking the center at Hydaspes at modern-day Punjab Province, Pakistan, when the Macedonian Empire annexed large areas of the Punjab region by Andre Castaigne (1911)(Public Domain).

The phalanx attacking the center at Hydaspes at modern-day Punjab Province, Pakistan, when the Macedonian Empire annexed large areas of the Punjab region by Andre Castaigne (1911)(Public Domain).

Elephants are sometimes referred to as pachyderms (thick-skinned). About 50-60 million years ago, Moeritheriums were the roots from which probscideans (elephants’ ancestors) evolved. Moeritheriums were pig-size animals with a pronounced upper lip resembling that of a tapir, that lived about 55 million years ago. As these creatures evolved their heads got smaller and their upper lips became longer and more flexible until finally they became trunks. The divergence between African and Asian elephants from their common ancestors, mastodons and wooly mammoths, occurred about six million years ago and in 2009 a 200,000-year-old well-preserved skeleton of a giant prehistoric elephant was unearthed in Java. This creature was measured at having stood at around four meters (13 feet) tall and weighed in at more than 10 tons.

Antique steel hook used by elephant riders of the empire of the Great Mogul (Public Domain)

Antique steel hook used by elephant riders of the empire of the Great Mogul (Public Domain)

Adrienne Mayor’s 2014 book Animals in Warfare examines the military applications of animals in ancient warfare and it explains that some creatures deployed against enemies “ were involuntary zoological allies, such as herds of cattle and wasps, whose aggression leads them to attack human targets.” Other animals were trained for specific purposes, for example dogs for sentry duty, mules and camels for carrying baggage, horses for cavalry mounts and elephants for attacking. The oldest evidence of a trained war elephant comes from the Indus Valley Civilization around 2000 BC. Elephant trainers, riders and keepers were called  mahouts and they were responsible for capturing and handling the wild elephants, then training them to systematically charge and trample enemies. This work also addressed counter-strategies for defending against war elephant attacks, such as, the use of pigs!

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Ashley Cowie is a Scottish historian, author and documentary filmmaker presenting original perspectives on historical problems, in accessible and exciting ways. His books, articles and television shows explore lost cultures and kingdoms, ancient crafts and artifacts, symbols and architecture, myths and legends telling thought-provoking stories which together offer insights into our shared social history.  www.ashleycowie.com.

Top Image: An image of the elephant keeper in India riding his elephant from Tashrih al-aqvam (1825).(CC0)

By Ashley Cowie

 
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Ashley

Ashley is a Scottish historian, author, and documentary filmmaker presenting original perspectives on historical problems in accessible and exciting ways.

He was raised in Wick, a small fishing village in the county of Caithness on the north east coast of... Read More

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