Zvezda 8011 Battle elephants III-I BC

Macedonian troops first interacted with war elephants during Alexander the Great's expedition to Persia in 334-323 BC. There are many indications that perhaps the first combat confrontation between the Macedonian phalanx and Persian war elephants took place around 330 BC. Later in the campaign, when Alexander's army reached the Indus and clashed with Porros, it was also forced to fight war elephants - including at the Battle of Hydaspes in 326 BC. The combat experience gained from these battles made a great impression on the Macedonians, and it is not surprising that the war elephants were part of the army of diadochi, i.e. the commanders of Alexander the great, who divided his empire among themselves. At that time, mainly Indian elephants were used, and a particularly large number of them fought in the Seleucid State, perhaps reaching around 500 animals in a line at the end of the 4th century BC. It is also assumed that the first use of war elephants in Europe took place around 320 BC. Due to their weight, size and relatively high resistance to blows, elephants were used primarily to break enemy lines. It is worth adding that they were not used together with classic cavalry.