elephants weighed roughly between 3500kg and 5000kg. War elephants played a critical role in several key battles in antiquity, especially in ancient India A war elephant is an elephant that is trained and guided by humans for combat purposes. Historically, the war elephant's main use was to charge the enemy, break their ranks, and instill terror and fear. Elephantry, or elephant cavalry, is the name for specific military units using elephant-mounted troops.These elephants weighed roughly between 3500kg and 5000kg. War elephants played a critical rol There… The ancient Indian epics Ramayana and Mahābhārata, dating from 5th–4th century BC, elaborately depict elephant warfare. They are recognized as an essential component of royal and military processions. In ancient India, initially, the army was fourfold (chaturanga), consisting of infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariots. Kings and princes principally rode on chariots, which were considered the most royal, while seldom riding on the backs of elephants. Although viewed as secondary to chariots by royalty, elephants were the preferred vehicle of warriors, especially the elite ones. While the chariots eventually fell into disuse, the other three arms continued to be valued. Many characters in the epic Mahābhārata were trained in the art. According to the rules of engagement set for the Kurukshetra War, two men were to duel utilizing the same weapon and mount, including elephants. In the Mahābhārata the akshauhini battle formation consists of a ratio of 1 chariot : 1 elephant : 3 cavalry : 5 infantry soldiers. Many characters in the Mahābhārata were described as skilled in the art of elephant warfare e.g. Duryodhana rides an elephant into battle to bolster the demoralized Kaurava army. Scriptures like the Nikāya and Vinaya Pitaka assign elephants in their proper place in the organization of an army. The Samyutta Nikaya additionally mentions the Gautama Buddha being visited by a 'hatthāroho gāmaṇi'. He is the head of a village community bound together by their profession as mercenary soldiers forming an elephant corp. Ancient Indian kings certainly valued the elephant in war, some stating that an army without elephants is as despicable as a forest without a lion, a kingdom without a king, or as valor unaided by weapons. The use of elephants further increased with the rise of the Mahajanapadas. King Bimbisara (c. 543 BC), who began the expansion of the Magadha kingdom, relied heavily on his war elephants. The Mahajanapadas would be conquered by the Nanda Empire under the reign of Mahapadma Nanda. According to Curtius, Alexander learned that the Nanda had 200,000 infantry; 20,000 cavalry; 3,000 elephants; and 2,000 four-horse chariots. Diodorus gives the number of…

I'm looking at the list of battles involving war elephants The Battle of Ipsus wiki page, a conflict between some of the successor states of Alexander the great, has an interesting passage on elephant-cavalry interactions: "The ancient sources repeatedly emphasize the effect of elephants on horses, which are alarmed by the smell and noise of elephants and are loathe to approach them. Demetrius would not have been able to take his horses through the line of elephants, nor maneuver around such a large quantity of elephants." The Battle of Heraclea shows an even more effective use of elephants during the Pyrrhic War: "Unable to make any significant gains in action, Pyrrhus deployed his elephants, held in reserve until now. The Roman cavalry was threatening his flank too strongly. Aghast at the sight of these strange and brooding creatures which none had seen before, the horses galloped away

The Lazic War (541-562 CE) was one of the major conflicts between the Sasanian and Byzantine empires. Both armies used various tactics and strategies typical of warfare in late antiquity. Since the 4th century CE, Sasanians have started using war elephants in their military campaigns. Sasanian generals Mermeroes and Nachoragan commanded these mighty pachyderms at Archaiopolis and Phasis, during the Lazic War. The article examines the history of the Sasanian Elephant Corps, their participation in different conflicts, methods of use in battle, and the anti-elephant tactics in Late Antiquity.

Ordular, ülkeler arasındaki rekabetin getirdiği sürekli gelişen silah teknolojileri ve taktik arayışlar sayesinde sürekli güçlendiler. Her gelişme bir sonraki kuşağa ve bir sonraki çağa aktarıldı. Bu gelişmelerin kesintisiz devam etmesi sayesinde ordularda genelleşen sınıflar oluştu. Her biri muharebede farklı rol ve amaca sahip olan bu sınıflar, muharebe sırasında birbirleriyle mücadele ettiler. Bu araştırmada İlkçağ orduları arasında öne çıkan dört muharip sınıfın birbirleriyle etkileşimi tartışılmaktadır. Bunlar savaş arabaları (chariot), piyadeler, süvariler ve savaş filleridir. Antik Çağ’ın bu dört ana sınıfı farklı bölgelerde, farklı hükümranlar tarafından kullanıldılar. Bu çalışmada; savaşın başlangıcı üzerine söylenecek bazı sözlere öncelik verildikten sonra, bu dört sınıf tek tek ele alınmakta, ardından da bunların aralarındaki etkileşim ayrı bir başlık altında bir değerlendirmeye tabi tutulmaktadır. Bu sayede Antik Çağ muharebelerinin karşılaştırılması, yeniden yorumlanması, aralarında bağlantıların kurulması önem kazanır. Bu da Antik Çağ’daki birçok medeniyetin savaş tarzlarındaki farklılıkları üzerine ileri araştırmalar için yararlı olabilir.

Hannibal crossed the Alps with a large army containing 37 war elephants in 218 BC. Details of his route have scholars regularly debate historical reports in the light of logistical and topographical considerations. Among the possible alpine passes, the route crossing at the Col du Clapier was considered the most likely candidate. Recent philological and geomorphological analyses suggest instead a route via the Col de la Traversette. Here, we examined these options focusing on the energy costs of the crossing with an emphasis on the war elephants. Our analysis favors the route of the Traversette while also providing possible insights into Hannibal's thinking concerning both the logistics and psychology of elephant warfare.