War elephant facts for kids

War elephant

A war elephant is an elephant that was trained for battle. Elephants were guided by people. The main use of the elephant was to trample the enemies, and to break their lines. They were first used in India, but their use spread to other regions. Pyrrhus of Epirus used many of them, and so did the armies of Carthage. Hannibal crossed the Alps with a number of war elephants and marched against Rome.

In the west, military tactics soon changed, and reduced the value of a war elephant. It was the use of cannons that made the war elephant useless in the 19th century. After that, elephants continued to be used for construction work.

Images for kids

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  War elephants depicted in Hannibal Barca crossing the Rhône, by Henri Motte. Made in 1878.

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  Elephant and driver, most likely from the Mughal Emperor's stable with a hunting howdar, including pistol, bows and a rifle

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  War elephants during Battle of Gaugamela.

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  A Carthaginian shekel, dated 237-227 BC, depicting the Punic god Melqart (equivalent of Hercules/Heracles), most likely with the features of Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal Barca; on the reverse is a man riding a war elephant

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  Roman marble sarcophagus depicting the Triumph of Bacchus returning from India, with soldiers atop war elephants, 2nd century AD, similar to a later sacrophagus with the same theme

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  Battle of Zama by Henri-Paul Motte, 1890

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  A medieval Armenian miniature representing the Sassanid Persians War elephants in the Battle of Vartanantz.

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  A Romanesque painting of a war elephant. Spain, 11th century.

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  The Khmer army waged war with elephants against the Cham in the 12th century.

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  "The Great Battle of Yuthahatthi" - Siamese King Naresuan fights the Burmese crown prince near Suphanburi in Jan. 1593.

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  The Elephant Battery in Peshawar.

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  During World War I, elephants pulled heavy equipment. This one worked in a munitions yard in Sheffield.

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  Engraving of the Battle of Zama by Cornelis Cort, 1567.

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  Gajashaala or elephant's stable in Vijayanagara, India, built during the reign of Vijayanagar Empire.

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  Entry to the Gwalior Fort from the Hathi Pol or "Elephant door", high arches of the door, allowed elephants to pass into the fort.