Carthaginian War Elephants Figurine 1/72

Historical Accuracy

The subject is debated among historians:

• Carthaginian elephants were likely North African forest elephants.
• Their small size would have made it difficult to transport large combat towers.
• Some experts believe they were simply ridden like horses, without towers.
• HAT nevertheless provided removable towers so that the modeler can choose the version they prefer.

Box Quality

Strengths:

• Rare and original subject.
• Six complete elephants in one box.
• Removable towers.
• Good level of sculpting for a reference released in 1999.

General Characteristics

For a collector or an ancient wargame player, this reference remains one of the few boxes specifically representing Carthaginian War Elephants in 1/72 scale today.

About the Elephants, here are notes from a specialist:

Editor's Note: All the texts I have read about the North African forest elephant Loxodonta africana cyclotis indicate that it is extinct.

There is no doubt that these elephants no longer live in North Africa. I was somewhat surprised to discover in the February 1999 issue of National Geographic that the Loxodonta africana cyclotis, or African forest elephant, is still very much alive in Central Africa.

Although no dimensions are given for these elephants, they seem to be the same as those used by Carthage in the past.

Around 200,000 individuals still exist today (compared to 400,000 large African elephants), but, like their North African cousins before them, they are threatened with extinction.

This time, it's not as transport or war animals, but for their ivory tusks.

Elephant, jumbo, mammoth... however they are considered, elephants are large animals, whether African or Indian.

Except for one: ours. The Carthaginians used the North African forest elephant Loxodonta africana cyclotis, now extinct (likely due to humans).

These animals measured only about 2.10 to 2.40 meters at the shoulder. Sources depict them sometimes equipped with a combat tower, sometimes without.

With a tower, their role was clear: to throw javelins or shoot at the enemy from a mobile elevated platform.

Without a tower, their function mainly involved trampling the enemy or breaking enemy formations with their sheer imposing mass.

Ancient authors also reported that horses, when faced with elephants for the first time, tended to panic due to their unusual smell.

However, elephants themselves were easily prone to panic, and several battles were lost because they would panic or turn against their own troops.