War Elephants
Ptolemy's elephants were of the now extinct, smaller North African breed of Elephants; those of Antiochus were mainly of the large Syrian Elephants, brought from India. According to Polybius, the African elephants could not bear the smell, sound and view of their Indian counterparts as well as their greater size and strength and would easily give way and rout.
Read more about this topic: Battle Of Raphia
Famous quotes containing the words war and/or elephants:
“The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone
In the ranks of death you’ll find him,
His father’s sword he has girded on,
And his wild harp slung behind him.”
—Thomas Moore (1779–1852)
“Amid attempts to protect elephants from ivory poachers and dolphins from tuna nets, the rights of children go remarkably unremarked.”
—Anna Quindlen (b. 1952)