About Hannibal and his elephants: questions........?

Question

Were they Indian or African elephants or sone other kind? Were soldiers riding the elephants? Did they send them out unattended to attack the enemies. How long did it take to get from Carthage to Rone? Did the elephants actually travel all the way between Carthage and Rome? what did they eat? What route did they take? How did the elephants get across the Straight of Gibraltar? How could it have it possibly been a suprise attack with band of elephants???

Answer 1

So far as is known, Hannibals elephants were a separate species- not African and not Indian (though I guess thet "technically speaking" they were "african". SFAIK there are no bones but there are some representations (on coins, vases) which suggest an elephant slightly smaller than an indian elephant, but with much larger ears.
The pictures show the elephants with one rider only. There is no proof if it was a young elephant or if it was an adult- but small by nature.
It seems that the elephants were used as "rams"- basically using them to break the ranks of enemy infantry. At least one rider would be essential to control the animal.
Food? anything green. Recently they fed old Christmas trees to elephants in a Zoo. These guys are not finicky about food!
Crossing of the sea- by ship. Plenty of big trading ships in that age, and horse trading was commonplace. 1 elephant took the same space as 4 horses.
Route- still discussed. eg. there is no "proof" which pass in the Alps was taken.
Surprise? easy enough. Every army was protected by a screen of light horsemen- whose job was to kill any enemy scouts (and anyone who might be a scout). Romans who never saw an elephant probably listened to tales of them as we listen to tales of UFO's. And in a battle, all hannibal had to do is place them behind a hill, a group of trees or even some tents.

Answer 2

They were most likely African forest elephants. Smaller than either African or Indian elephants, the species of forest elephant was one that was native to North Africa and was most likely extinct by the 3rd century AD. They did have riders, and very few elephants survived the crossing of the Alps. By the time Hannibal arrived in Italy, he only had 3 elephants remaining.

Hannibal raised his army in Spain which was essentially his family's private empire. He left Cartagena in spring of 218 BC and crossed the Alps that winter. He defeated the Romans at the Trebia and Lake Trasimene in 217 BC, and at Cannae in 216.

Answer 3

Hannibal's allies have been the Numidians (now widely used as Libyans) and different African rulers. Facilely, Western historians declare that Hannibal used African elephants. We additionally comprehend that African elephants (even immediately) are confusing to coach. there is the legless theory, that extinct Mesopotamian-Libyan-Syrian breed of elephants, the Elephas maximus asurus, have been used - that's in line with organic hypothesis. This theory, a legless ask your self, basically speculative, rests with out any archaeological, written, oral, history evidence. those Syrian have been in all hazard Indian elephants, gained by potential of Syrian kings, Seleucus I and Antiochus III - at a intense expenses. This elephant breed, supposedly grew to alter into extinct, at as quickly as and extremely fairly, after prevailing battles and wars, for Pyrrhus and Hannibal around one hundred BC

Answer 4

They were African Elephants...they swam across the Gibralter Straight. Hannibal laid down a row of peanuts across the Alps to Rome to get the heard there. He put pillows on their feet to suprise the Roman while they slept at night.