During excavations in southern Spain, archaeologists unearthed the carpal bone of an elephant. Based on the findings and analysis of the bone, which is around 2,200 years old, the research team suspects that it is a war elephant that could be related to the Punic Wars. The find would be the first of its kind. So far, mainly documentary and iconographic sources have documented the use of pachyderms during the Punic Wars in Europe.
Hardly any other event from the time of the Roman Republic is as widely covered as Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps during the Second Punic War in 218 BC. In this forced march, the Carthaginian military leader drove tens of thousands of foot soldiers and cavalry, as well as 37 war elephants, across the Alps to forestall a Roman attack against the Carthaginian provinces in Spain and North Africa. The daring plan succeeded, and suddenly the Romans found themselves face to face with Hannibal’s troops in the Italian heartland. The two acting consuls led the Roman legions against the invaders at Cannae – a battle that was to end in a crushing defeat for the Romans. The exact number of deaths varies among historians depending on their representation: Livy mentions 50,000, Polybius reports up to 70,000. There are also numerous prisoners.
The way to Rome was now open to the Carthaginians. However, Hannibal decided to move south and spared the capital. The Romans regrouped, wore down the Carthaginian troops with scorched earth tactics and thus averted greater disaster. Almost 200 years later, Cicero recalled the horrific event in his speeches with the catchphrase “Hannibal ad portas” when he demonized his opponents with the still feared image of the enemy.
The 37 war elephants probably only played a minor role in the campaign. Nevertheless, the gray giants must have made a great impression on the residents of northern Italy, Spain and southern France. It is uncertain in the sources how many animals survived the Alpine crossing, but most died the following year due to the cold of the northern Italian winter. It was only at the end of the Second Punic War that pachyderms were used again. The Romans were now on the offensive and met Hannibal’s troops in Zama, North Africa. Almost 40 relatively untrained elephants formed the front line of the defenders. However, as soon as the Romans’ attack fanfares sounded, the animals shied away and caused complete chaos in their own ranks.
A significant foot bone
In 2020, a palm-sized bone was discovered during excavations near Córdoba in southern Spain. The find initially raised questions because it did not match any local animal species. Only later did archaeologists identify it as the right carpal bone of a large mammal. Radiocarbon dating of the soil layer suggests an age of around 2,250 years. According to a study led by archaeologist Rafael Martínez Sánchez of the University of Córdoba, the bone may belong to a war elephant used by Carthaginian forces during the Second Punic War (218-201 BC).
Before Hannibal went to war with Rome and crossed the Alps, the Carthaginians fought against the Iberian tribes in Spain. The aim was to expand the territory from a few bases on the southern edge of the peninsula. The carpal bone could fall into this phase of Carthaginian expansion immediately before the Punic Wars, which is also confirmed by the context of the find: under a collapsed wall, a dozen spherical stone projectiles were seen next to the bone, which were probably ammunition for Carthaginian throwing machines.
However, the remaining part of the elephant skeleton could not be found and may have decayed – or was never there in the first place. The researchers do not rule out that the bone could have simply been kept as a souvenir before it ended up in the rubble. However, from the experts’ point of view, the argument against this is that the carpal bone is neither particularly visually appealing nor fulfills a technical function. The interpretation of a deceased war elephant, however, is compatible with the information from written and visual evidence.
Although the animal did not travel across the Alps with Hannibal, the researchers emphasize the importance of the bone discovery. The archaeologists summarize that it is a rare relic from the time of the Punic Wars and awakens the imagination of how the “tanks of antiquity” once marched across the Iberian Peninsula.
Source: Rafael M. Martínez Sánchez et al., The elephant in the oppidum. Preliminary analysis of a carpal bone from a Punic context at the archaeological site of Colina de los Quemados (Córdoba, Spain), Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, Vol. 69, 2026; doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105577