Mercenary Syrian Armoured Elephants (Beasts of War only)

Description

War elephants were not battle-winning weapons on their own. They had to be used properly and given the right support if they were to break an enemy line and, with it, the will to fight on. Often, elephants were accompanied into battle by a screen of friendly skirmishers, whose job it was to keep them from being harassed by the enemy’s own light troops before charging. The sheer size of an elephant was enough to instil terror even before it hurled men away, impaled them on its tusks, or trampled them to death. Even in the best battle conditions elephants could be unpredictable: they often reacted angrily if their handlers were killed or wounded, but could also turn on those same men when the stress of battle pushed them to breaking point. However, sent forward at the right moment, war elephants could sweep away all before them. Indian elephants first came to the Middle East when Seleucus, one of Alexander the Great’s Successors, invaded India in 305BC. 500 war elephants were handed over as part of the peace treaty between the Seleucid dynasty and the Mauryans of India, and the Seleucids went on to breed many more from this initial stock. War elephants remained an important part of the Seleucid army until their defeat by the Romans at Magnesia in 190BC, following which they were forbidden from breeding more.