Ya, I was thinking that too...and I agree plenty of shock and awe having to face down those beasts. Something I'm thinking about - today elephants are used like heavy machinery in India. They work at construction sites, the pick things up, move things, etc. and just like a construction site anywhere sometimes accidents happen. It's my understanding that when an elephant accidentally kills a human their personality changes and they become unmanageable. They won't listen any more and now know they can just crush us so they put them down. If this is true I wonder how the ancient animal handlers trained the elephants to deal with battle. We're they just kind of un-chained and turned loose on the enemy with the troops told, "Stay back or be crushed!"
Hey! I cleaned out cattle and horse barns growing up! hmmm...reckon that was slave labor for what I was paid...
Holy smokes, JA => now you're packin' a pachyderm!! (nice coin ... congrats) => man, I love that the poor elephant didn't even flinch and/or get rattled during the performance (full-points!!) I also have one of those cool elephant bottle-cap examples ... Antiochos VI Dionysos SYRIA, Seleukid Kings 145-142 BC Antioch mint Dionysos & Elephant Diameter: 22 mm Weight: 8.12 grams Obverse: Diademed and radiate head right Reverse: BASILEWS ANTIOCOU [E]PIFANOUS [DION]US[OU], Elephant standing left; STA above control mark (star) in left field Reference: Houghton 249; SNG Spaer 1774ff
And here's the third Seleukid elephant for comparison. Only 597 to go and we have just as many as they once did.
Better pic I think, using incandescent light at different angles. Still not happy though - maybe the third time will be the charm, although this does portray the green patina accurately, which is quite lovely...
Hey Z-bro => man, that really is a pretty sweet coin (it has super rugged eye-appeal) => it's yummy "and" tough lookin'!!
Thanks, Steve, I've always liked yours and was glad when this fella turned up in one of my mixed lots.