US EditionAncient bone found in Spain could be from Hannibal's war elephants
The bone found with wartime artifacts provides physical evidence of Carthaginian war elephants used in Spain, supporting historical accounts from the Second Punic War, researchers said.
- Archaeologists in southern Spain identified the 2,200-year-old elephant carpal bone in a battle-scarred layer at Colina de los Quemados near the Guadalquivir River, Córdoba, Spain.
- The dating aligns with the Second Punic War, with radiocarbon tests placing the debris layer between the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C., matching Hannibal's 218 BCE crossing, researchers say.
- Laboratory analysis found the 10cm cube-shaped carpal bone matched museum elephant skeletons, and 2020 excavations recovered 12 smooth stone balls, coins, and ceramics indicating Carthaginian military activity.
- The team argues the find shifts accounts from text to tangible evidence, tying a fortified settlement near Córdoba to Carthaginian forces and reshaping wartime history interpretations.
- Scientists caution that species identification challenges from one ankle bone remain unresolved, while chance preservation in the rubble pocket beneath a laterally collapsed mud-brick wall aided survival and ships and crews moved non-native elephants across the Mediterranean.
19 Articles
19 Articles
Archaeologists Unearthed a 2,200-Year-Old Bone. They Say It Could Be the First Direct Evidence of Hannibal's Legendary War Elephants
The Carthaginian general famously used elephants during the Punic Wars. But until now, archaeologists had never found skeletal remains linking the animals to the conflict
Ancient Bone Unearthed in Spain Could Reveal Secrets of Hannibal’s Legendary War Elephants
Archaeologists in Spain have uncovered an ancient bone that may provide a rare physical link to one of history’s most legendary military campaigns. The fossilized remains, discovered near the site of the ancient Battle of the Trebia, are believed to belong to one of Hannibal’s famed war elephants, used during his audacious crossing of the [...]
Archaeology: An elephant bone excavated in Spain provides a new, physical indication of the presence of elephants in classical Europe...
The train over the Alps with war elephants has made Hannibal a legend. In Spain, archaeologists dig up a bone that could be the first physical proof of the existence of these animals in Europe at that time.
A bone found in Spain probably belongs to those who participated in the Second Punic War
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