Hamilcar Barca

[Mythos_Ruler]

Hi all. Would Hamilcar Barca, father of Hannibal, have ridden an elephant or a horse? If an elephant, would it be an Asian Elephant, like Hannibal's Sara, or a "standard" North African Forest Elephant?

[Gaius Julius Caesar]

I would imagine a horse.
An elephant is more like a tank, albeit one with a soft underbelly, prone to running amok when pelted with arrows, slingshot, and javalins.....not the best of mounts for a general, despite it's commanding view.....which is made irrelevant if you are stampeding through formations of your own men. hock:

But that is perhaps just my perspective on things.

[Paullus Scipio]

Even Hannibal is only recorded riding an elephant in the ceremonial Parade marking his entry into Capua, never in battle is he mentioned as elephant mounted......

[Ron Andrea]

Michael,

Why do you ask? Is it a hypothetical, or looking for a single instance--such as Hannibal's ceremony?

[Mythos_Ruler]

I am asking because I am the Art Dept. Lead at Wildfire Games and we are developing a freeware strategy game based upon ancient times. My current task is to develop the look for Hamilcar Barca in the game.

[praetor0708]

I agree that most likely he rode a horse. War elephants were more for the psychological effect of an enemy army that strategic value. The elephants were easily spooked and could just as easy trample the troops on either side of the battle. Hamilcar used the North African elephants as they were indigenous to the forests of Carthage. Asian elephants were larger but would have to be brought from the Hindu Kush. The Carthaginians had a great navy but transporting elephants by sea could not have been an easy task even for them.

Doug "Suetonius Attius Hispanicus"

[Ron Andrea]

In that case, I'd suggest going with a head and shoulders of him in the foreground (or waist up showing him mounted) flanked behind by a couple of elephants fully tricked out for battle. If you concentrate him and them, you may be able to set the scene without having to specify whether the locale is a battle site or some sort of civic event.

[Mythos_Ruler]

In that case, I'd suggest going with a head and shoulders of him in the foreground (or waist up showing him mounted) flanked behind by a couple of elephants fully tricked out for battle. If you concentrate him and them, you may be able to set the scene without having to specify whether the locale is a battle site or some sort of civic event.

That would work if the game was 2D or something like that, but the game is 3D, much like Age of Empires 3 or Warcraft3 or similar games. )

[Paullus Scipio]

There are coin images of Hamilcar ( Chanu-ad-Mel-quart = "Glory-of-the-Lord of the City") and Hannibal, (Chanu-ad-Ba'al = "Glory-of-Ba'al")- both named after Phoenician Gods- and a couple of busts of Hannibal......I can send you some stuff, when I can dig it out.....