2 – He Rode an Elephant That Was Missing a Tusk
Much is written about Hannibal’s war elephants as they crossed the Alps and the Carthaginian commander had his own beast that was called Surus (the Syrian). Although most of the elephants were African, Surus was supposedly a large Asian elephant that was missing a tusk. While a Carthaginian coin struck during the 3rd Century BC depicts Surus as an African elephant, historians believe it was an Indian elephant descended from those that had been seized by the Ptolemies of Egypt.
According to the Roman playwright, Plautus, Surus wore a red cloth and possibly had a red shield. It is also likely that there was a construction (known as a Howdah) on the elephant’s back. It makes sense that Hannibal would have a platform when riding Surus since he had problems watching the battlefield due to the loss of his eye.
It is also possible that he used the gigantic elephant as a status symbol. The Carthaginians had called upon the Gauls as allies, but they knew that their new comrades had a reputation for being fickle when it came to alliances. By riding on the enormous elephant, Hannibal believed the fearsome spectacle would ‘persuade’ the Gauls to remain loyal. He rode the elephant through the Alps and over the swamps that ultimately claimed his eye.
The decision to stay on Surus’ platform during battles worked out extremely well as he was supposedly on the elephant during the Battle of Cannae. He was directly behind the center of his troops and was able to issue orders with precision timing. The fate of Surus is unknown. Some historians believe it died before Cannae while others suggest the elephant went back to Africa with Hannibal over a decade after arriving in Italy. The latter theory seems unlikely.