Mediavastio
Technology

'Landmark' elephant bone finding in Spain may be from time of Hannibal's war against Rome

February 03, 2026 • 5 min read • views
'Landmark' elephant bone finding in Spain may be from time of Hannibal's war against Rome
  1. Archaeology
  2. Romans
'Landmark' elephant bone finding in Spain may be from time of Hannibal's war against Rome

News By Tom Metcalfe published 3 February 2026

An elephant bone discovered in Spain may date to the time of Hannibal's battles against the Romans.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

The site of the ancient fortified village excavated by archaeologists. The mysterious bone was unearthed in 2019 at the site of an ancient fortified village near the southern Spanish city of Córdoba. (Image credit: Agustín López and Rafael Martínez) Share by:
  • Copy link
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Whatsapp
  • Reddit
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter

A 2,200-year-old bone unearthed in Spain may be from one of Hannibal's war elephants that was deployed during the Second Punic War, a new study reports.

The baseball-size bone, found near the southern Spanish city of Córdoba, may be the only direct evidence of the Carthaginian general's war elephants, according to the study, which was published in the February issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. Famously, 37 of these bellicose pachyderms trekked with Hannibal and his army for the length of Iberia, over the Pyrenees to southern Gaul, across the Alps and into Italy to attack Rome.

You may like
  • A slightly trapezoidal tool made from an elephant bone against a black background 480,000-year-old ax sharpener is the oldest known elephant bone tool ever discovered in Europe
  • a piece of human skull sits at the bottom of two ancient walls at a corner Archaeologists discover decapitated head the Romans used as a warning to the Celts
  • A photo of the found skeletal remains in the dirt. The skeleton is lying on its left side, in the fetal position. Brutal lion attack 6,200 years ago severely injured teenager — but somehow he survived, skeleton found in Bulgaria reveals

The bone "could prove to be a landmark," Rafael Martínez Sánchez, an archaeologist at the University of Córdoba and the study's first author, told Live Science. Until now, "there has been no direct archaeological testimony for the use of these animals," he said in an email.

The mysterious bone was unearthed in 2019 and initially perplexed scientists because it matched no native animal. It was recognized years later as an elephant's right carpal bone — the "ankle" of its right foreleg, which is equivalent to the wrist in humans. The researchers think this particular elephant was brought there as a beast of war by the Carthaginians.

5 fragments of the the roughly baseball-size bone laid out on a gray background.

The roughly baseball-sized bone unearthed in Spain initially perplexed scientists because it came from no native animal. (Image credit: Agustín López and Rafael Martínez)

Celtic stronghold

The bone was found during archaeological excavations at the site of a fortified Iberian village, in a layer of earth radiocarbon-dated to around 2,250 years ago — before the Romans took control of the region in about 150 B.C. The Romans called such fortified villages oppida; they were commonly used by the ancient Celts and were often built on hilltops, but this was in the defensible bend of a river.

Carthage, an ancient city state on the coast of what's now Tunisia, originated as a Phoenician colony and its fleet of warships was especially feared. But its armies were also powerful, and Carthage used war elephants in the first two Punic Wars against the Roman Republic, which were largely for control of strategic regions of the western Mediterranean.

Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter nowContact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

It seems a Carthaginian army stationed nearby during the Second Punic War (218 to 201 B.C.) had been involved in a battle at the ancient fortified village near Córdoba — and that the elephant was killed in the fighting, the researchers wrote in the study.

Other signs of a military conflict at the site included 12 spherical stones the researchers think were ammunition for Carthaginian catapults.

It seemed most of the elephant's skeleton had rotted away, but the carpal bone had been protected by a collapsed wall, the researchers wrote. They do not rule out the possibility, however, that the bone had survived because it was taken as a souvenir, as it is small enough to carry.

You may like
  • A slightly trapezoidal tool made from an elephant bone against a black background 480,000-year-old ax sharpener is the oldest known elephant bone tool ever discovered in Europe
  • a piece of human skull sits at the bottom of two ancient walls at a corner Archaeologists discover decapitated head the Romans used as a warning to the Celts
  • A photo of the found skeletal remains in the dirt. The skeleton is lying on its left side, in the fetal position. Brutal lion attack 6,200 years ago severely injured teenager — but somehow he survived, skeleton found in Bulgaria reveals

Martínez Sánchez said it's not currently possible to determine if the animal was an Asian elephant (Elephas maximus indicus) — the species the Greek king Pyrrhus of Epirus (known for his eponymous "Pyrrhic Victory") had used against the Romans about 10 years before the First Punic War — or a now-extinct species of African elephant that the Carthaginians preferred for their war beasts.

Spherical stone on the ground. Scientists think were ammunition for a Carthaginian catapult.

The researchers also found spherical stones that they think were ammunition for a Carthaginian catapult. (Image credit: Agustín López and Rafael Martínez)

Hannibal's march

The Carthaginian general and nobleman Hannibal Barca started his famous attack on Rome in about 218 B.C., leading his armies into Italy the long way through Western Europe. Most of his war elephants died while crossing the Alps, but Hannibal's armies were victorious against the Romans in Italy for many years.

RELATED STORIES

—How (and where) did Hannibal cross the Alps? Experts finally have answers

—2,200-year old battering ram from epic battle between Rome and Carthage found in Mediterranean

—'Extraordinary' Roman helmet from war-ending battle found in the sea off Sicily

Hannibal was recalled to Carthage in 203 B.C. to defend against Roman attacks there. But the Carthaginians ultimately lost their second war on Rome as they had the First Punic War more than 20 years earlier. (About 50 years later, Rome engineered a Third Punic War, which the weakened Carthaginians also lost and which led to their demise.)

The researchers stressed that the elephant that died near Córdoba could not have been one of the "legendary specimens" that crossed the Alps with Hannibal. However, the bone is a relic of the ancient Punic Wars for control of the Mediterranean and represents the "passage of the gigantic 'tanks of antiquity' through the [Iberian] peninsula," the researchers wrote.

Article Sources

M. Martínez Sánchez, R. et al (2026). The elephant in the oppidum. Preliminary analysis of a carpal bone from a Punic context at the archaeological site of Colina de los Quemados (Córdoba, Spain). Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports, 69, 105577. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jasrep.2026.105577

Tom MetcalfeSocial Links NavigationLive Science Contributor

Tom Metcalfe is a freelance journalist and regular Live Science contributor who is based in London in the United Kingdom. Tom writes mainly about science, space, archaeology, the Earth and the oceans. He has also written for the BBC, NBC News, National Geographic, Scientific American, Air & Space, and many others.

View More

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more A slightly trapezoidal tool made from an elephant bone against a black background 480,000-year-old ax sharpener is the oldest known elephant bone tool ever discovered in Europe    a piece of human skull sits at the bottom of two ancient walls at a corner Archaeologists discover decapitated head the Romans used as a warning to the Celts    A photo of the found skeletal remains in the dirt. The skeleton is lying on its left side, in the fetal position. Brutal lion attack 6,200 years ago severely injured teenager — but somehow he survived, skeleton found in Bulgaria reveals    A photo of a large Archaeotherium skull on display at John Day Fossil Beds National Monument in Oregon. Giant North American 'hell pigs' could crunch bones like lions 30 million years ago, tooth analysis reveals    a curved bronze object with a green patina rests in a circle of reddish brown dirt Rare 2,000-year-old war trumpet, possibly linked to Celtic queen Boudica, discovered in England    Photograph of the tomb entrance. 2,400-year-old Hercules shrine and elite tombs discovered outside ancient Rome's walls    Latest in Romans white plastic plate with brownish flakes on it Romans used human feces as medicine 1,900 years ago — and used thyme to mask the smell    a greenish bronze helmet in the shape of a man's head and face Ribchester Helmet: A rare 'face mask' helmet worn by a Roman cavalry officer 1,900 years ago    Photograph of the tomb entrance. 2,400-year-old Hercules shrine and elite tombs discovered outside ancient Rome's walls    ruins of an ancient Roman bath complex showing the floor of a hot water pool Romans regularly soaked in filthy, lead-contaminated bath water, Pompeii study finds    Coins recovered from the archaeological site. 1,700-year-old Roman marching camps discovered in Germany — along with a multitude of artifacts like coins and the remnants of shoes    aerial view of Roman ruins of a bathhouse Diarrhea and stomachaches plagued Roman soldiers stationed at Hadrian's Wall, discovery of microscopic parasites finds    Latest in News Two photographs side-by-side. (Left) A Yellowstone wolf stands staring at the camera on a snowed upon ground, (Right) a cougar stares at the camera while up high in a tree canopy. 'System in flux': Scientists reveal what happened when wolves and cougars returned to Yellowstone    Honey-harvest in the Niassa Special Reserve, Mozambique. In the search for bees, Mozambique honey hunters and birds share a language with distinct, regional dialects    The site of the ancient fortified village excavated by archaeologists. 'Landmark' elephant bone finding in Spain may be from time of Hannibal's war against Rome    An illustration of particles behaving like a wave Scientists smash record for superposition, bringing quantum world tantalizingly close to reality    two locks of human hair against a light colored background Preserved hair reveals just how bad lead exposure was in the 20th century    A spacecraft image of a bright orange flare erupting from the sun Sunspot launches 27 solar flares in 24 hours, including strongest in years    LATEST ARTICLES
  1. The site of the ancient fortified village excavated by archaeologists.1'Landmark' elephant bone finding in Spain may be from time of Hannibal's war against Rome
  2. 2Mokoqi Star Projector Night Light review
  3. 3'System in flux': Scientists reveal what happened when wolves and cougars returned to Yellowstone
  4. 4In the search for bees, Mozambique honey hunters and birds share a language with distinct, regional dialects
  5. 5LaView Galaxy Projector review

Related Articles