rome

A small, 2,200-year-old elephant bone discovered at an ancient, fortified settlement in southern Spain may be the first direct archaeological evidence of the war elephants used by the legendary Carthaginian general Hannibal Barca during his campaigns on the Iberian Peninsula. The find, a carpal bone from an elephant’s front leg, provides a tangible link to the epic struggle between Carthage and Rome, offering new insights into the Punic Wars. 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