Elephant Bone Unearthed in Cordoba Sheds New Light on Carthaginian Warfare

Published February 2026 in Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

Overview

During preventive excavations carried out in 2020 at the Colina de los Quemados site near Cordoba, southern Spain, archaeologists from the local university uncovered a modest‑looking bone fragment that is now being hailed as a breakthrough for the study of the Second Punic War. The bone belongs to the carpal (wrist) of the right fore‑leg of an elephant and was recovered from a destruction layer dated to the 3rd–4th centuries BCE.

The site corresponds to the Iberian oppidum of Corduba, which was abandoned when the Romans refounded the city. The excavation was ordered ahead of a provincial hospital expansion. Buried beneath a collapsed adobe wall that sealed a single occupation level, the roughly 10 cm cubic bone did not immediately reveal its identity because its morphology matched none of the known local fauna.

How the Researchers Identified the Bone

The team, led by Rafael Martínez Sánchez, followed a two‑pronged approach:

Step	Method	Outcome
1. Anatomical comparison	Compared the fragment with skeletons of African and Asian elephants and steppe mammoths housed in European museums and labs.	Morphology matched that of an elephant carpal, but could not distinguish between African or Asian species.
2. Radiocarbon dating	Conducted ^14C analysis on the bone.	Confirmed the animal lived between the late 4th c. BCE and early 3rd c. BCE.

Because the bone was heavily degraded, protein or DNA analyses were impossible, leaving the exact species unresolved.

A Destruction Layer Rich in Military Evidence

The true significance of the find lies in its stratigraphic context. The same destruction layer also contained:

≈12 stone spheres (~11 cm diameter) identified as lithobolos (siege artillery) projectiles.
Arrowheads, coins, and ceramic sherds typical of the Punic‑War period.
Remains of furnaces, walls, and other architectural structures showing signs of violent demolition.

Together, these artifacts outline a scenario consistent with conflict during the Second Punic War (218–201 BCE) on the Iberian Peninsula.

Why an Elephant Makes Historical Sense

Carthaginian armies famously employed war elephants to break enemy formations and to intimidate troops unfamiliar with such beasts. Until now, evidence for their presence in Iberia relied solely on:

Literary sources (e.g., Polybius, Livy).
Iconographic depictions.
Coins bearing the image of a mahout (elephant driver).

The Cordoba carpal provides the first physical, osteological proof of an elephant directly linked to a Punic‑War context in western Europe.

First Anatomical Trace in Western Europe

The authors stress that, to their knowledge, this is the earliest osteological remain of an elephant associated with the Second Punic War found in Europe. They caution, however, that the bone cannot be definitively tied to Hannibal’s famous Alpine crossing of 218 BCE. The most plausible explanations are:

The elephant participated in Carthaginian campaigns in Iberia prior to the Alpine march.
It was a war prize captured and later deposited at the site.

Building on Earlier Material Clues

This discovery adds to a growing body of material evidence for Carthaginian animal logistics:

2016 Study – An international team led by Bill Mahaney (University of York, Toronto) published in Archaeometry a microbiological analysis of a peat bog at the Col de la Traversette (Franco‑Italian border). The sediment layer, dated to ≈200 BCE, showed a high concentration of Clostridia bacteria linked to equine waste, interpreted as the trace of a massive animal transit. The authors noted that genetic confirmation was still needed.

The Cordoba elephant bone strengthens this line of evidence, though it does not constitute absolute proof on its own. The researchers suggest it may represent the first tangible anatomical testimony of proboscidean use by Carthaginian forces during the wars between Carthage and Rome (264–146 BCE).

Implications

Military History – Confirms that Carthaginian commanders deployed elephants in Iberia, expanding our understanding of their logistical capabilities.
Archaeological Methodology – Demonstrates the value of integrated anatomical and radiocarbon analyses even when DNA preservation is poor.
Cultural Heritage – Highlights the importance of preventive excavations before modern construction projects, which can uncover game‑changing artifacts.

Two thousand years under the rubble the bone that proves Hannibal’s chroniclers right