Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

kronckew · 23rd July 2015, 07:18 PM

carthaginian elephant drivers apparently carried a spike that they could drive thru the elephant's craniovertebral junction to kill it if it went out of control after being wounded and fleeing the battle, started attacking their own troops to get away. apparently elephants were rather hard to kill with arrows and javalins, one was recorded as having been struck with 60 of them before it succumbed. (not sure if that was with or without armour, which they generally wore.)

indian war elephants i would hazard, might require the mahout to a similar 'mercy' spike or dagger. a strong blade with a two handed grip and weighted to add momentum to a downward strike might look just like those. the hooked spike ankus they also carried was more for control via the hooking ears and the occasional poke with the spike & not long or sharp enough to wound or kill the ellyfant.

p.s. - the last recorded use of elephants in a battle was apparently in 1987.

23rd July 2015, 07:18 PM	#5
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,150	carthaginian elephant drivers apparently carried a spike that they could drive thru the elephant's craniovertebral junction to kill it if it went out of control after being wounded and fleeing the battle, started attacking their own troops to get away. apparently elephants were rather hard to kill with arrows and javalins, one was recorded as having been struck with 60 of them before it succumbed. (not sure if that was with or without armour, which they generally wore.) indian war elephants i would hazard, might require the mahout to a similar 'mercy' spike or dagger. a strong blade with a two handed grip and weighted to add momentum to a downward strike might look just like those. the hooked spike ankus they also carried was more for control via the hooking ears and the occasional poke with the spike & not long or sharp enough to wound or kill the ellyfant. p.s. - the last recorded use of elephants in a battle was apparently in 1987. Last edited by kronckew; 23rd July 2015 at 07:46 PM.