The Sasanian Elephant Corps Revisited: Ammianus Marcellinus on the Tactics of Persian Elephantry
In: Journal of Persianate StudiesSearch for other papers by Vladimir Dmitriev in
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Abstract
According to Ammianus Marcellinus, elephants substituted, to some extent, siege towers; he describes wooden towers on the backs of the animals, armed with Persian warriors who attacked the defenders of a fortress. Certainly, elephants may have served as an element of ancient psychological warfare. But, at the same time, it appears that the Sasanians employed elephants in their battle fighting, bearing warriors who attacked their enemies with various missiles. In open-field battles, elephants, as a rule, were introduced into the battle in an offensive situation. Ammianus Marcellinus does not offer any evidence as to elephants functioning as beasts of burden or draught animals; on the contrary, he always stresses the fact that they were military animals who posed a real danger to the Romans in battle.
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The Sasanian Elephant Corps Revisited: Ammianus Marcellinus on the Tactics of Persian Elephantry
In: Journal of Persianate StudiesSearch for other papers by Vladimir Dmitriev in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
Abstract
According to Ammianus Marcellinus, elephants substituted, to some extent, siege towers; he describes wooden towers on the backs of the animals, armed with Persian warriors who attacked the defenders of a fortress. Certainly, elephants may have served as an element of ancient psychological warfare. But, at the same time, it appears that the Sasanians employed elephants in their battle fighting, bearing warriors who attacked their enemies with various missiles. In open-field battles, elephants, as a rule, were introduced into the battle in an offensive situation. Ammianus Marcellinus does not offer any evidence as to elephants functioning as beasts of burden or draught animals; on the contrary, he always stresses the fact that they were military animals who posed a real danger to the Romans in battle.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 636 | 171 | 22 |
| Full Text Views | 43 | 6 | 1 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 116 | 21 | 4 |
