ELEPHANTS AT RAPHIA: REINTERPRETING POLYBIUS 5.84–5

Abstract

The battle of Raphia, waged near Gaza between the Seleucid king Antiochus III and Ptolemy IV Philopater of Egypt in 217 B.C., represents the first time that the larger Indian elephant (Elephas maximus) would meet African elephants in battle. As is generally accepted, the larger African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana africana) was unknown to the ancients, which means that Ptolemy's Africans would have been of the smaller forest variety (Loxodonta africana cyclotis). The forest elephant, which closely resembles its larger African cousin, is widely regarded as the African type used by both the Carthaginians and the Ptolemaic princes. This particular beast, now confined to the equatorial regions of the continent, was once relatively common in northern Africa until hunted to local extinction. To follow the general interpretation of Polybius, the Seleucid Indian elephants proved too intimidating for Ptolemy's smaller African beasts.5 Moreover, Antiochus’ 102 elephants outnumbered Ptolemy's seventy-three (Polyb. 5.79.2, 5.79.13), which were divided on both sides and placed on the wings.