A Discovery at Colina de los Quemados
The discovery was made in 2019 at Colina de los Quemados, an Iberian fortified village, or oppidum, located in a defensible river bend near modern Córdoba. According to a new study in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, the bone was initially puzzling as it did not match any local fauna. Years of analysis finally identified it as the right carpal bone of an elephant. Radiocarbon dating places the bone to around 2,250 years ago, predating the Roman conquest of the region and aligning with the timeline of the Second Punic War (218–201 BC).
- The Mysterious Origins of Hannibal’s Elephants
- War Elephants: The Military ‘Tanks’ of the Ancient World
Archaeological excavation at the site of Colina de los Quemados near Córdoba, Spain, where the elephant bone was found. (López & Martínez / Science Direct)
Archaeologists, led by Rafael Martínez Sánchez of the University of Córdoba, believe a Carthaginian force clashed with local defenders at the site. This interpretation is supported by the recovery of a dozen spherical stone projectiles, likely ammunition for Carthaginian catapults. It is thought that the elephant was killed during this engagement, and its small carpal bone became trapped and preserved under a collapsed wall while the rest of the skeleton decayed over millennia.
“This bone could be a turning point,” Martínez Sánchez stated, according to a Heritage Daily report, highlighting that until now, evidence for Hannibal’s elephants has been limited to ancient texts and indirect traces.
The ‘Tanks of Antiquity’ in Iberia
Hannibal of Carthage famously marched an army, including 37 war elephants, across the Alps to attack Rome, a feat that has captured the imagination of historians for centuries. While the elephant from the Córdoba site was not one of the legendary animals that crossed the Alps, its presence in Spain is a significant discovery. It confirms the use of these formidable beasts, described by the research team as the “tanks of antiquity”, in the Carthaginian military campaigns across the Iberian Peninsula.
- Hannibal of Carthage: Military Commander, Enemy of Rome
- Romans Were Terrified by War Elephants… at First
The species of the elephant remains uncertain. It could have been an Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), which had been used against the Romans previously by Pyrrhus of Epirus, or the now-extinct North African elephant (Loxodonta africana pharaohensis), a smaller species often favored by Carthage. Regardless of its exact lineage, the bone is a rare and powerful relic of a pivotal period in ancient history.
The elephant carpal bone unearthed in Spain. (Martínez Sánchez, R. M. et al. / Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports)
A Tangible Link to a Legendary Past
The find at Colina de los Quemados provides the first unequivocal physical proof of war elephants in an archaeological context on the Iberian Peninsula. As reported by Live Science, the discovery moves the story of Hannibal’s elephants from the realm of ancient texts into verifiable history. It serves as a direct connection to the massive armies that once marched across Spain, reminding us of the sheer scale and ambition of Carthage’s war against Rome.
This single bone, no larger than a baseball, has survived for over two millennia to tell a story of battle, conquest, and the immense power of the animal kingdom harnessed for war. It is a testament to the enduring legacy of one of history’s greatest military commanders and the incredible potential for archaeology to bring the past to life.
Top image: Hannibal Crossing the Alps; detail from a fresco by Jacopo Ripanda, ca 1510, Palazzo dei Conservatori (Capitoline Museum), Rome Source: © José Luiz Bernardes Ribeiro / CC BY-SA 4.0
By Gary Manners
References
Martínez Sánchez, R. M., López Jiménez, A., Guillamón Dávila, S., Llorente Rodríguez, L., Morales Muñiz, A., Moreno Rosa, A., & Quesada Sanz, F. 2026. The elephant in the oppidum. Preliminary analysis of a carpal bone from a Punic context at the archaeological site of Colina de los Quemados (Córdoba, Spain). Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2352409X2600012X?via%3Dihub
Metcalfe, T. 2026. ‘Landmark’ elephant bone finding in Spain may be from time of Hannibal’s war against Rome. Available at: https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/romans/landmark-elephant-bone-finding-in-spain-may-be-from-time-of-hannibals-war-against-rome
Milligan, M. 2026. Archaeologists find evidence of Hannibal’s war elephants in Spain. Available at: https://www.heritagedaily.com/2026/02/archaeologists-find-evidence-of-hannibals-war-elephants-in-spain/156943
