Elephants And Their Link With The History Of Civilization
Elephants and their link with the history of civilization dates back to time immemorial. The first elephants in captivity date back to 4,500 years ago, in Pakistan. Then as now, most of the elephants used by ancient and modern civilizations came directly from their natural habitat.
The history of civilization is the history of elephants
Elephants are the largest and most powerful land animals. They have always aroused mixed feelings such as curiosity, envy and fear. They have been worshiped and punished by man at the same time, both in the past and today.
The three elephant species existing today – the Asian elephant, the African savannah elephant and the African jungle elephant – have all been trained to be kept in captivity.
Throughout history, elephants have been used for various purposes, becoming the protagonists of numerous historical events. Their history helps us to understand the relationship that this species has with the human being.
War elephants
India during the Vedic period
Elephants have been part of the Indian navy since the dawn of time. Numerous stories from ancient times tell of the use of elephants as battle animals.
Hellenistic Empire
Some texts from ancient Greece tell us about the importance of elephants in the battles that defeated the emperor Cyrus of Persia, called The Great, in 530 BC These stories become even more detailed regarding the battle between Alexander the Great and Darius III of Persia in 331 BC
Southern Mediterranean countries
During the Alexandrian Empire, Ptolemy I of Egypt formed an army of elephants. It began with the 43 Asian elephants he had captured during the Battle of Gaza in 312 BC. His son, Ptolemy II, used many African elephants instead.
Elephants in Asia
During the first millennium BC, there were numerous military conflicts in India that led to the fall of the Hindu empires: elephants also played an important role in these historical events.
Ceremony elephants
Thanks to their imposing size, elephants have always been used as a symbol of power. Furthermore, their maintenance requires numerous resources, which are indicative of the wealth status of their owner.
During the Roman Empire, elephants captured after battles were brought to gladiator arenas. There they were tortured and made to fight against other animals and against the gladiators themselves.
Later, these animals became the perfect gift for European kings from African rulers. For example, in 1230, the Sultan of Cairo gave an elephant to King Frederick of Sicily, who used it to triumphantly enter Milan.
History of civilization and elephants: working animals
In Asia
If their use as war animals is historical, so too is their use as pack animals. Wylie suggests that the use of elephants for construction, logging and transportation dates back to 2000 BC
Given their size, strength and intelligence, they have been considered living machines for many jobs. Too bad they are rarely mentioned in the history books.
In Africa
More than 2,000 years after Carthage trained elephants for warfare, King Leopold of Belgium founded a working school for them in Congo. By 1910 there were already 35 specimens in what became known as the Elephant Taming Center. This center was abandoned during the First World War.
Circus elephants
The first elephants to participate in circus shows date back to the year 1000 BC, in India. Since then, they have always been a part of circus shows, so much so that there are no circuses that don’t have at least one elephant.
In addition to the torture they suffered in the Roman arenas we mentioned earlier, the elephants were trained to entertain audiences in circuses of the time. The repertoire included rope walking, wearing flashy clothes, throwing knives, etc.
The concept of the modern circus originated in nineteenth-century Europe, England and France. From there, it was distributed all over the world to reach America, so much so that in 1887 there was already a circus with 160 elephants.
Elephants in zoos
Elephants have been held captive by humans for over 3500 years. The ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur, dating back to 2000 BC, kept them in zoos for public display.
Today, elephants remain a major attraction in zoos. Sukumar estimates that more than 1000 captive African elephants live in zoos in Western countries.
