An elephant ankle bone from a Guadalquivir settlement is the first physical proof of Carthaginian war elephants in Spain, dated to around 2200 years ago during the Second Punic War. The carpal matches a right foot structure. 🐘
2,200-year-old Carthaginian war elephant bone found in Spain
Site mentioned
📍 Guadalquivir settlement
Key facts
- Elephant ankle bone (carpal) identified as first physical evidence of Carthaginian war elephant in Spain
- Found at fortified settlement on Guadalquivir River near Córdoba, southern Spain
- Radiocarbon dating places bone between 4th-3rd centuries BC, during Second Punic War
- Size and structure matches right foot of elephant used by Carthaginian forces
- 12 smooth stone balls found at site interpreted as catapult projectiles
- Evidence indicates Carthaginian unit camped nearby during war
- Probably not survivor of Hannibal's Alpine march into Italy
- First physical evidence supporting ancient written accounts of war elephants in Iberian campaign
Sources
Archaeologists uncover 2,200-year-old war elephant in Spainearth.com
Archaeologists have identified a 2,200-year-old elephant ankle bone as direct physical evidence of a Carthaginian war elephant.
Ancient bone may be first physical evidence of Hannibal's 'war ...cnn.com
Archaeologists in Spain have uncovered an elephant bone from 2,200 years ago, and they believe it belonged to an animal that served as a ...
Elephant bone found in Spain provides rare evidence of war ...archaeologymag.com
Rare elephant bone from Córdoba, Spain offers direct archaeological evidence of war elephants used during the Punic Wars.
Elephant Bone in Spain May Be Proof of Hannibal's Tanks With Trunksnytimes.com
Archaeologists say a 2,200-year-old specimen is the first direct evidence of how the Carthaginian war machine used the giant mammals in the ...
Archaeologists find evidence of Hannibal's war elephants in Spainheritagedaily.com
The find, a 2,200-year-old elephant carpal bone roughly the size of a baseball, was unearthed in 2019 at an ancient fortified settlement near ...
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