The war elephant

Discussion in 'Ancient Coins' started by David@PCC, Feb 3, 2019.

  1. David@PCC

    David@PCC allcoinage.com

    @Pavlos & @TheRed wanted to see my newest from this thread, so here it is.
    The Indian civilization was well used to elephants in battle but that was a new concept to the Greeks until Alexander the Great had to engage these intimidating beast on his conquest eastward. Seleucus was an early adopter of using elephants in war which very may well secured his position of ruler of Syria and beyond. Seleucus knew well battle elephants during his campaigns with Alexander at the Hydaspes. After securing his own portion of Alexander's empire he tried to extend farther east but was not successful against Chandragupta Maurya and signed a treaty with him. As part of this treaty Strabo describes how Seleucus received 500 trained elephants which began his elephant corps.

    It wasn't long before he deployed these new terrifying beasts against Antigonus at the battle of Ipsus.


    It is evident his elephants played a crucial role in the victory at Ipsus and further cemented his kingdom among the Diadochus. After the battle Seleucus renamed and made Apamea (named after his wife) the center of the Seleucid military. Elephants had groupings anywhere from 2 to 64 as a formation and had towers (howdahs) on their backs.
    elephant.jpg
    They were heavily armored and had spear throwers and archers atop the animals. These war elephants proved invaluable against the Gauls after which Antiochus I was given the title Soter (savior). Seeing the success the Seleucid war elephants were having, Ptolemy IV started his own elephant corps. When the two met in battle at Raphia Seleucid's larger and more aggressive Indian elephants easily defeated Ptolemy's African elephants, however the battle was still lost.

    Although successful frequently on the battlefield, using elephants had some major setbacks. Each elephant required an additional 40 troops to guard them. Daily each elephant required as much as 250 pounds of food and were difficult to breed in captivity. Further if the animal spooked, it would rear up and often turn and trample it's own soldiers. All in all the Seleucid war elephant only saw about 150 years of use on the battle field. I've read sources that claimed to have given the elephants wine before battle to make them even more aggressive. I can only imagine the site of an angry drunk elephant charging at you with armor and spear throwers atop must have been like. Certainly if a army never encountered such beasts, they would have been terrified and fled.

    Here is the coin
    g300o.jpg g300r.jpg
    Seleucus I Nicator
    Apamea on the Axios
    300 to 281 BC
    Obvs: Elephant right, dotted border.
    Revs: BAΣIΛIEΩΣ ΣEΛEYKOY, bridled & horned horse head left. Horizontal anchor below.
    AE 19x20mm, 8.57g
    SC 35; HGC 10, 79(R1)

    This coin is also thicker than I imagined it would be
    g300e.jpg
    Numismatic note: Apamea was part of the Syrian tetrapolis formed by Seleucus as the starting point of military campaigns. This mint was only in use by Seleucus I for a couple of decades and no other coins were minted there for another 60 years until the reign of Antiochus III.

    This coin is all business, from a military stand point that is. The obverse shows prominently the Indian elephant that made up the core of Seleucus's elephant corps. The reverse has two additional Seleucid military symbols, the horned horse and anchor (from his time as a naval commander).

    This coin is ex D. Alighieri Collection. I have no proof but surmise that pseudonym is actually from the collection of Cornelius Vermeule, former curator of the Boston museum of fine arts.

    Please share your coins depicting elephants, war symbology, or anything related.
     
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  3. Ancient Aussie

    Ancient Aussie Well-Known Member

    Nice coin in great condition, interesting info that I wasn't aware of. Congrats on picking up a rare coin in such good condition.
     
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  4. Andres2

    Andres2 Well-Known Member

    Great write up David, thanks.

    P1170163bb.jpg
     
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  5. paddyman98

    paddyman98 I'm a professional expert in specializing! Supporter

    Cool..
    I saw this scene recently and made me think about these battles..
    I know the movie Kung Fu Yoga is fictional but this is a great battle scene using elephants!
     
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  6. TJC

    TJC Well-Known Member

    Cool elephant coin; nice eye appeal! I like the thickness too.
     
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  7. Roman Collector

    Roman Collector Well-Known Member

    Here's a tiny (12 mm) Seleukid elephant from Antiochos III:

    [​IMG]

    On a side note, elephant is a really old word. It comes into English (and other modern European languages) from the Latin elephantus (alternate forms in Latin include elephas and elephans), which in turn comes from the Greek ἐλέφας.

    Greek ἐλέφας, however, may come from proto-Berber and Egyptian roots! See this interesting article on its etymology.
     
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  8. Alegandron

    Alegandron "ΤΩΙ ΚΡΑΤΙΣΤΩΙ..." ΜΕΓΑΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΟΣ, June 323 BCE

    Great coin David! Nice write-up, thank you.

    ELEPHANTS

    upload_2019-2-3_7-59-28.jpeg
    Baktria Apollodotos I 180-160 BCE Square AR Drachm 20mm 2.4g Elephant Zebu SNG ANS 324-327

    upload_2019-2-3_8-0-39.jpeg
    RR Julius Caesar AR Denarius 49 BCE Traveling Mint Elephant-Pontificates Sear 1399 Craw 443-1

    upload_2019-2-3_8-1-48.png
    Etruria 3rd C BCE AE 18mm 4.76g Hd African r Elephant r letter below SNG Cop 48 HNI 69 SNG Paris 138-140 SNG Morcom 44 RARE

    upload_2019-2-3_8-4-23.png
    INDIA Sunga Dynasty 187-78 BCE Cast Copper 1-2 Karshapana 15mm 2.5g Elephant flag swastika taurine symbol - Tree 3-arched hill hollow cross MACW 4378

    upload_2019-2-3_8-5-46.png
    Seleucid Seleucus I 312-280 BCE AR Tet 14.46g Seleucia on Tigris. Zeus - Athena driving a quadriga of 4 horned elephants SC 130

    upload_2019-2-3_8-6-39.png
    Seleukid Demetrios I Soter 162-150 BCE AE 17 serrate 16.8mm 3.9g Antioch on Orontes mint Horse Hd L - Elephant Hd R- SC 1646 SNG Spaer 1299-1304

    upload_2019-2-3_8-7-39.jpeg
    Seleucid Seleucus I 312-280 BCE AE 20 Athena-Elephant Spaer 129
     
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  9. Jwt708

    Jwt708 Well-Known Member

    @David@PCC I really like your latest additions and I"m always interested in them!

    [​IMG]
    Antiocus VI, ca. 148–142/1 BC
    Minted in Antioch - for some reason I didn't weigh and measure that coin.
    Obv.: Radiate head of Antiochus VI, wreathed with ivy.
    Rev.: ΒΑΣΙΛΕΩΣ ΑΝΤΙΟΧΟΥ / ΕΠΙΦΑΝΟΥΣ ∆ΙΟΝΥΣΟΥ; elephant walking left holding torch in trunk, ΣΤΑ above right, cornucopia right.

    Here are some other elephants that were probably not raised for war:

    [​IMG]
    Apollodotos I, Backtria, 174-165 BC
    AR, drachm, 14mm, 1.4g
    Obv.: BAΣIΛEΩΣ AΠOΛΛOΔOTOY SΩTHPOΣ; Elephant standing right, MI monogram below
    Rev.: Maharajasa Apaladatasa tradarasa (Karosthi script); Zebu standing right, Karosthi legend around, MI monogram below

    [​IMG]
    Indo-Scythians, King Maues
    90-57 BCE (per CoinIndia; elsewhere, shown as 125-85 BCE)
    AE hemi-obol, 9.5 gm, 20 x 23 mm
    Obv: Elephant walking right, with raised trunk, within rectangular dotted border; Greek legend around, BAΣIΛEΩΣ BAΣIΛEΩN MEΓAΛOY MAYOY
    Rev: King seated cross-legged facing oncouch, within rectangular border, monogram above right, Kharoshthi legend around:rajatirajasa mahatasa moasa

    [​IMG]
    Antoninus Pius, AD 138-161
    AE, As, 27mm, 9.3g; 2h; Rome, AD 148-149
    Obv.: ANTONINVS AVG PIVS P P TR P XII; Laureate head right, aegis on left shoulder
    Rev.: MVNIFICENTIA AVG; elephant walking right with trunk raised
    In Ex.: COS IIII SC
    Ref.: RIC III 862(a), p. 134

    MVNIFICENTIA AVG refers to the games he held during the celebration of his vota decenallia (AD 149).

    I strongly recommend the Ancient Warfare magazine for people interested in the subject. Articles are written for the non-specialist but with plenty of meat. In Volume IX Issue 4 they have a couple of articles about the use of war elephants. The publications Medieval Warfare and Ancient History are similarly interesting.
     
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  10. Collect89

    Collect89 Coin Collector

    On one trip to Thailand we visited a tourist trap which included an elephant show & crocodile farm. As you sit in the stands, elephant riders appear out of nowhere & charge a half dozen elephants directly toward you. If the riders lost control (or if the elephants took control) it would have been a disaster. All of us in the stands would not stand a chance against the elephant's charge. In Thailand, our seats were on the ground & there was NO barrier to protect the crowd.

    If the spears & armor don't get you, the elephants surely will. It was a little more thrilling than an E ticket ride at Disneyland. :)

    Here is a big elephant coin of Hadrian.
    Hadrian Elephant Quadriga Rev.jpg
    Hadrian Elephant Quadriga Obv.jpg
     
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  11. Ancientnoob

    Ancientnoob Money Changer

    @Collect89 If I remember correctly. You have one very exceptional AP denarius with the Elephant skin/armor detailed. I would love to see it again.
     
  12. Collect89

    Collect89 Coin Collector

    Here you go:
    Elephant Septimus Collage.jpg
    Septimus
    AR Denarius

    Here's an elephant headdress:
    Bactria Obv 1.JPG
    Bactria Rev 1.JPG
    BACTRIA, Indo-Greek Kings
    Demetrios I --- Merv Mint
    AR Tetradrachm
    190 – 171 B.C. 16.64 grams, 33 mm
    Obv: Draped bust facing right
    wearing elephant headdress
    Rev: BAΣIΛΕΩΣ / ΔHMHTPIOY
    Nude Herakles standing,
    crowning himself, holding club
    and lion skin; monogram.
    Grade: Happy VF with honest wear
    Other: MIG 103c; Bopearachchi 5F.
    Classical Numismatic Auction XXI
    (by CNG) lot 187 June 26, 1992.
    Purportedly from Goldberg Coins.
    From Eye Appealing Coins 11/2017.
     
    Last edited: Feb 3, 2019
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  13. Nyatii

    Nyatii I like running w/scissors. Makes me feel dangerous

    Those elephants appear to be 30 ft tall.
     
  14. TONYBRONX

    TONYBRONX Well-Known Member

    The war elephant is like their version of a AC130 gunship!
     
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  15. David@PCC

    David@PCC allcoinage.com

    I see some great and diverse coins in this thread.
    That's a great tet, hope to get one someday.

    Thanks for the link!

    I've always liked that coin. I can see a resemblance between our 2 elephants.

    Writing this post gave me an opportunity to break that issue out of it's bag and read it after sitting on my shelf for a year and a half. That issue talks in depth about the Seleucid empire.

    Now that's something I WOULD like to see!
     
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  16. 7Calbrey

    7Calbrey Well-Known Member

    The first following coin shows an elephant which is believed to be extinct species. It was struck in Laodicea under Antiochus IV. The second coin shows a very big elephant, with a nymph on obverse.

    Ant4 Eleph      Hoover 685.jpg Ant4Ladocea.jpg Antiochs          Nimf.JPG Antiochs R    NymEleph.JPG
     
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  17. PeteB

    PeteB Well-Known Member

    Philip I. 244-249 AD. Æ Sestertius (30mm, 17.75 gm, 12h). Commemorating the 1000th anniversary of Rome. Rome mint, 1st officina. 10th emission, 249 AD. Obv: Laur. draped, and cuirassed bust right. Rev: Elephant advancing l., led by mahout, holding staff and goad. RIC IV 167a; Banti 8.
    PhilipISestElephant4.jpg
     
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  18. AncientJoe

    AncientJoe Well-Known Member

    Here's my shekel which could depict Hannibal (or at least, I am as optimistic as the catalogers in thinking it does, as the historical tie in is fantastic if so):

    Hannibal.jpg
     
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  19. rrdenarius

    rrdenarius non omnibus dormio Supporter

    a couple of RR elephants
    L. Caecilius Metellus Diadematus.jpg L. Caecilius Metellus Diadematus r.jpg

    ArtAst XL.136.jpg ArtAst XL.136 rev.jpg
     
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  20. David@PCC

    David@PCC allcoinage.com

    Just another what if, but have to wonder the outcome if Antiochos III would have given Hannibal a field command in Asia minor instead of a naval one.
     
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  21. Michael Stolt

    Michael Stolt Well-Known Member

    [​IMG]

    Q. Caecilius Metellus Pius. 81 BC. AR Denarius (18mm, 3.66g, 6h). North Italian mint.

    Obverse: Diademed head of Pietas right; stork in right field

    Reverse: Elephant walking left; Q•C•M•P•I in exergue.

    Reference: Crawford 374/1
     
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