War Elephants
The Ancients16 Elo 2020

War Elephants

Move over Hannibal. More over Carthage. This podcast is all about a much BIGGER elephant power in antiquity. A power that, at its height, stretched from modern day Bulgaria to the Hindu Kush: the Seleucid Empire. Existing for almost 250 years, throughout this Empire’s long history the Indian elephant remained right at its heart. On the battlefield these giant beasts of war became symbolic of Seleucid warfare, fighting in almost all (if not all) the major military encounters the Seleucids had with other powers: from Ipsus to Magnesia. But away from the battlefield too, these animals retained their importance, particularly for the Seleucid Kings.


The history of Seleucid elephant warfare is fascinating and it was a great pleasure to be joined by Dr Silvannen Gerrard to talk through this topic. Silvannen explained how these elephants were trained and used in war, but she also stressed their importance away from the battlefield - their prestige value, the logistics of looking after elephants and how they epitomised a vital trade link with ancient India. She also answered the all important question: did the Ancients send elephants into battle drunk?


Oh, and make sure you listen RIGHT to the end!


A few notes:

Eumenes, Antigonus, Ptolemy and Seleucus were all prominent players fighting after Alexander the Great’s death.

Ptolemy was the founder of the Hellenistic Ptolemaic Kingdom, centred in Egypt.

Sarrisas were very long pikes – roughly 6 metres long.

The Galatians: a conglomeration of Gallic tribes that settled in modern day central Anatolia.

We (I mainly) go back and forth between 'Seleucid' and 'Seleukid'. Same kingdom!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(594)

The Picts: Rulers of the North

The Picts: Rulers of the North

Tristan Hughes journeys up to windswept Scotland to uncover the secrets of the Picts — fierce warriors, skilled artisans, enemies of Rome and rulers of the North.In this special episode of The Ancient...

21 Syys 202545min

The Permian Extinction: When Life Nearly Died

The Permian Extinction: When Life Nearly Died

It was the biggest mass extinction event in Earth’s history. 250 million years ago, a 252 million years ago, Earth faced its deadliest crisis. 97% of all life was wiped out in the Permian Extinction –...

18 Syys 202558min

541 AD: The Worst Year in History

541 AD: The Worst Year in History

Was this the worst year in human history? Bubonic plague sweeps across the Mediterranean. The sun vanishes behind volcanic ash. Crops fail, famine bites, and the Roman empire lurches towards collapse....

14 Syys 20251h 4min

Fall of the Sumerians

Fall of the Sumerians

Tristan Hughes continues our special series on Great Disasters, journeying back to ancient Mesopotamia with Dr Paul Collins to explore the fall of the Sumerians.4,000 years ago, the great cities of Su...

11 Syys 20251h 1min

The Minoan Eruption: Bronze Age Cataclysm

The Minoan Eruption: Bronze Age Cataclysm

More than 3,500 years ago, a massive volcanic eruption devastated Thera - modern day Santorini - engulfing the Bronze Age world in ash and fire. Entire landscapes were buried, ash darkened the skies, ...

7 Syys 202555min

How Greece Shaped Rome with Mary Beard

How Greece Shaped Rome with Mary Beard

Professor Mary Beard and Charlotte Higgins join Tristan in this episode all about Greece and Rome - the two greatest civilisations of classical antiquity.How did the Romans borrow, adapt, and sometime...

4 Syys 202553min

The Sumerians

The Sumerians

More than 5,000 years ago, in what is today southern Iraq, one of the world’s first civilisations emerged. A civilisation often credited with the invention of writing, the wheel and cities. The Sumeri...

31 Elo 202550min

The Sea Peoples

The Sea Peoples

Tristan Hughes sits down with Professor Eric Cline to explore the enigmatic Sea Peoples, often blamed for the catastrophic Bronze Age collapse over 3,000 years ago.Together they explore surviving sour...

28 Elo 20251h 11min

Suosittua kategoriassa Historia

olipa-kerran-otsikko
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
mayday-fi
huijarit
mystista
tsunami
konginkangas
totuus-vai-salaliitto
rss-ikiuni
rouva-diktaattori
rss-subjektiivinen-todistaja
rss-i-dont-like-mondays-2
rss-peter-peter
sotaa-ja-historiaa-podi
rss-kirkon-ihmeellisimmat-tarinat
rss-iltanuotiolla
maailmanpuu
rss-outoja-uutisia-pohjois-suomesta
rss-sattuu-sita-suomessakin
rss-antiikki-nyt