α β γ δ ε ζ η θ ι κ λ μ ν ξ ο π ρ ς σ τ υ φ χ ψ ω Α Β Γ Δ Ε Ζ Η Θ Ι Κ Λ Μ Ν Ξ Ο Π Ρ C Σ Τ Υ Φ Χ Ψ Ω ἀ ἁ ά ὰ ᾶ ἄ ἅ ἂ ἃ ἆ ἇ ᾳ ᾷ Ἀ Ἁ Ἄ Ἅ Ἂ Ἃ Ἆ Ἇ ἐ ἑ έ ὲ ἔ ἕ ἒ ἓ Ἐ Ἑ Ἔ Ἕ ἠ ἡ ή ὴ ῆ ἤ ἥ ἢ ἣ ἦ ἧ ῃ ῇ ᾗ Ἠ Ἡ Ἤ Ἥ Ἦ Ἧ ἰ ἱ ί ὶ ἴ ἵ ἲ ἳ ἶ ἷ ῖ Ἰ Ἱ Ἴ Ἵ Ἶ Ἷ ὀ ὁ ό ὸ ὄ ὅ ὂ ὃ Ὀ Ὁ Ὄ Ὅ Ὂ Ὃ ῥ ὐ ὑ ύ ὺ ὔ ὕ ὒ ὓ ὖ ὗ ῦ Ὑ Ὓ Ὕ Ὗ Ῠ Ῡ Ὺ Ύ ὠ ὡ ώ ὼ ὤ ὥ ὢ ὣ ὦ ὧ ῳ ῶ ῷ ᾧ ᾤ Ὠ Ὡ Ὤ Ὥ Ὢ Ὣ Ὦ Ὧ Schließen Bewegen ?
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Der Einsatz von Kriegselefanten #2 (476 Aufrufe)
Γραικύλος schrieb am 25.01.2021 um 16:43 Uhr (Zitieren)
S. Iulius Africanus fährt fort:
How should one defend against an animal difficult to fight, fully armed both by many natural advantages and by human skill? It overthrows the one who makes a stand, the one who flees it seizes, the one who falls it tramples, the horseman it terrifies, and the charioteers it hits from its tower.

First of all, then, one should oppose them with lightly-armed javelin throwers and archers, and desist from arraying cavalry against them, so that the army might not be thrown into confusion by the horses’ <fear> of the unfamiliar; and the trumpeters are to make a frightful blast, so that by opposing the trumpeting of the beast the din of the instrument might blunt its threat.

When the targeteers, then, shoot at the elephant, their aim should not be random; the archers should shoot fire-bearing arrows at the towers. For when the chance missile sticks into its target, it is enough to bring complete ruin-ation; for the beast, having sensed the flame, and frightened by the danger of fire, it shakes off the battlements placed upon it; one might thus compare it with a tower falling on a city under siege. But if it is wounded on the exposed parts of its body, it is now in fear of the enemy, and after turning against its own, its rage becomes more dangerous. For like a mountain flame, or a headlong torrent, this is exactly the way it rages: it kills, it injures, it destroys, it hurls down, it tramples, and despises even the dead [οὕτως μάλιστα κτείνει, τιτρώσκει, ἀναιρεῖ, καταβάλλει, πατεῖ, καὶ αὐτοὺς μισεῖ τοὺς νεκρούς], heaping up corpses and obstructing the path of those in flight, as if it were taking vengeance on its own because they were the reason for its distress [ὥσπερ ἀμυνόμενος τοὺς φίλους ὅτι ταῦτα δι’ ἐκείνους πέπονθεν].

I personally am of the opinion, however, that it is better neither to stand up to the elephant at the outset nor to come in close with this manifold danger, but rather to anticipate its threats, its charges, its battles, and its falls. For when it is encircled and falls, it will destroy a great many [πολλοὺς γὰρ ἀναλώσει κυκλωθεὶς καὶ πεσών]. Iron caltrops, sharp, firmly based and heavy, are forged. Those feigning retreat throw them down close-packed into the path of the beasts. When stepped on, they bring the elephant to a halt, penetrating into the pads of its feet. The weight with which it treads on others is the very thing that defeats it, because it steps on them with its whole body. The advantage of this is two-fold. For either in its suffering, it destroys those who are trying to relieve its incurable pain, <or> unable to stand it collapses in a heap.

To be sure, the spoils of war are all precious, <but> an elephant makes the most precious spoil of all. Neither a general’s shield nor a corselet of a slain nobleman is as glorious for a victorious king as an elephant captured alive, or an elephant’s plundered remains.

(Iulius Africanus: Cesti. The Extant Fragments. Edited by Martin Wallraff, Carlo Scardino, Laura Mecella and Christophe Guignard. Berlin/Boston 2012, pp. 88-93)
 
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