Spain bone may be first physical trace of Hannibal's war elephants
An elephant bone found near Cordoba, Spain, dating to the Second Punic War era, could be the first concrete relic linked to Hannibal’s war elephants. The 10 cm fragment, recovered from an Iron Age site with other artifacts, suggests such beasts were transported by ship and used in Europe, though the bone likely belongs to an elephant that died before crossing the Alps. Species identification remains uncertain, but the find underscores how rare elephant remains are in European archaeology and may mark a notable clue in the Punic Wars narrative.
