Ancient Elephant Bone May Confirm Hannibal's Alps Crossing Legend

Thairath•International•8h ago

Reader Briefing

A significant archaeological find in Spain, an ancient elephant foot bone, may provide the first physical evidence to support the historical accounts of Hannibal's legendary march of war elephants across the Alps.

•Archaeologists in southern Spain have discovered an ancient elephant foot bone from the Iron Age.
•This bone could be the first physical evidence confirming the historical accounts of Hannibal, the Carthaginian general, leading war elephants across the Alps over 2,000 years ago.
•The discovery was made near Cordoba in an Iron Age archaeological site, and carbon dating suggests it's from the Second Punic War era.
•While historical texts mention Hannibal's use of elephants, concrete physical evidence has been scarce until now.

Overview

•Over 2,000 years ago, Hannibal led an army, including elephants, across the Alps.
•Historical records and depictions have long suggested Hannibal's use of war elephants against the Roman Empire.
•Archaeologists discovered an ancient elephant foot bone fragment in southern Spain.
•The find occurred in an Iron Age archaeological site near Cordoba.
•Carbon dating of the bone fragment places it within the Second Punic War era (around 218 BCE).
•Scientists believe the bone fragment is the first physical evidence supporting Hannibal's elephant campaign.
•The bone fragment is considered significant due to the rarity of finding elephant remains in European archaeological contexts from that period.
•The research was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports.

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Key Quotes

Science Team

"Excluding tusks, finding elephant skeletal remains in a European archaeological context is exceedingly rare."

หากไม่นับรวมงาช้าง การค้นพบซากโครงกระดูกช้างในบริบททางโบราณคดีของยุโรปนั้นถือเป็นเรื่องที่หาได้ยากยิ่ง

Research Team

"As exotic and the largest land animals, these creatures were likely transported by ship."

ในฐานะที่เป็นสัตว์ต่างถิ่นและเป็นสัตว์บกที่มีขนาดใหญ่ที่สุด สัตว์เหล่านี้น่าจะถูกขนส่งมาโดยเรือ

Scientists

"While this bone might not represent an elephant that crossed the Alps, it could be the first artifact representing animals used in the Punic Wars to gain Mediterranean power."

แม้กระดูกชิ้นนี้อาจไม่ได้เป็นตัวแทนของช้างศึกตัวที่เดินทางข้ามเทือกเขาแอลป์ แต่มันอาจเป็น "โบราณวัตถุชิ้นแรก" ที่เป็นตัวแทนของสัตว์ที่ถูกใช้ในสงครามพิวนิคเพื่อแย่งชิงอำนาจเหนือเมดิเตอร์เรเนียน

Key Entities

Person

Hannibal(ฮันนิบาล)ℹ️

Legendary Carthaginian general renowned for leading elephants across the Alps during the Second Punic War.

Rafael M. Martínez Sánchez(ราฟาเอล เอ็ม. มาร์ติเนซ ซานเชซ)

Professor and lead archaeologist of the team that discovered the ancient elephant bone in Spain.

Place

Carthage(คาร์เธจ)ℹ️

Ancient city-state that was a major rival of Rome, based in modern-day Tunisia.

Alps(เทือกเขาแอลป์)ℹ️

Major mountain range in Europe, famously crossed by Hannibal with his army and elephants.

Colina de los Quemados

Archaeological site in southern Spain where the ancient elephant bone was discovered.

Organization

Roman Empire(จักรวรรดิโรมัน)ℹ️

Dominant power in the Mediterranean region during Hannibal's campaigns, the ancient empire that Carthage sought to overthrow.

Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

Academic journal where the findings of the elephant bone discovery were published.

Steppe Mammoths(แมมมอธสเตปป์)ℹ️

Extinct species of mammoth compared to the discovered elephant bone for identification purposes.