Roman soldiers were reportedly terrified the first time they faced war elephants on the battlefield. It’s hard not to feel bad for the elephants too, as using animals this way in war is undoubtedly cruel.

But Rome’s enemies, particularly various Hellenistic kingdoms and the Carthaginians, did indeed use war elephants. So, how did they acquire and deploy them in battle – and how did the Romans respond?

Alexander encountered war elephants in India

Alexander the Great brought elephants back to the Mediterranean world after campaigning in northern India, where elephants had been used for centuries in warfare – and would be used for centuries to come.

Alexander had fought against an elephant-equipped army at the Battle of the Hydaspes (in modern-day Pakistan) in 326 BCE and had obviously been impressed by the animals. So began the ancient Mediterranean world’s (rather misguided) fascination with war elephants.

Elephants are a double-edged sword

Overall, war elephants in the ancient Mediterranean world could be useful against infantry – and especially horses – that had not experienced them before.

But once that initial fear was mastered, elephants often proved to be a double-edged sword, trampling their own side’s men.

Elephants also require prodigious amounts of water and feed, and slowed down the armies that travelled with them.

This is likely why the Romans, who relied heavily on the mobility of their troops, decided against incorporating elephants into their own ranks.