When did the elephant howdah come into use?

[Dave Beatty]

Although this is no doubt answered somewhere on this forum (or in the pages of Slingshot when did the howdah come into usage?  The earliest solid reference to it is in some coinage of Juba II circa 55 BC... and of course Polyaenus talks about Julius Caesar using one in Britain.

[Mick Hession]

A good deal earlier than that, according to Plutarch: Pyrrhos had them when he attacked Argos "At dead of night Pyrrhus came up to the walls of the city, and finding that the gate called Diamperes had been thrown open for them by Aristeas, was undiscovered long enough for his Gauls to enter the city and take possession of the market-place. But the gate would not admit his elephants, and therefore the towers had to be taken off their backs and put on again when the animals were inside, in darkness and confusion. "

Cheers
Mick

[Duncan Head]

Assuming you mean the tower - doesn't "howdah" strictly mean a lower platform for a seated rider? - then the Pyrrhic explanation is the one that Scullard favoured, in The Elephant in the Greek and Roman World, and is the general view. There are literary references relating to slightly earlier dates, for instance one in Plutarch's Eumenes, relating to 316 BC:

The gleams of their golden armour in the sun flashed down from the heights as they marched along in close formation, and on the backs of the elephants the towers and purple trappings were seen, which was their array when going into battle.

- but that's generally thought to be anachronistic and introduced by a later writer.

I can't imagine why you think that Juba's coinage is the earliest solid reference, as there are plenty of earlier artworks showing towered elephants, notably the Villa Giulia plate.

[Duncan Head]

Note also, of course, Philip Rance's article which gives the strongest argument so far that there's good textual evidence for Hannibal using elephant-towers.

[Dave Beatty]

I can't imagine why you think that Juba's coinage is the earliest solid reference, as there are plenty of earlier artworks showing towered elephants, notably the Villa Giulia plate.

Thanks for the info.

Actually, I imagine that the howdah came into military usage prior to 1000 BC.  What I am lacking is details on the first historical or archaeological evidence for its use in warfare.  Specifically, I have acquired two Tin Soldier Indian elephants that are missing its crew and am toying with the idea of scratch building howdahs and putting some left over Indian figures therein for my massive Hydaspes battle and realize that this might be a bit early and was hoping for some ammo (STS) to use to support such a thing.

Thanks again.

[tadamson]

There are some early towers used in religious processions, but nothing military that I can think of.  The occasions that I can think of for Indian towers in a military context are all 'cunning plan' uses.  The earliest I can think of is Chandragupta, in one of his battles against the Nanda Empire, elephants with towers headed columns of tribal troops (in close order with spear and shield), forming one wing of his army.  This is after Hydaspes though.
   

[Dave Beatty]

There are some early towers used in religious processions, but nothing military that I can think of.  The occasions that I can think of for Indian towers in a military context are all 'cunning plan' uses.  The earliest I can think of is Chandragupta, in one of his battles against the Nanda Empire, elephants with towers headed columns of tribal troops (in close order with spear and shield), forming one wing of his army.  This is after Hydaspes though.

Thanks for the point Tom!  Do you know the source for Chandragupta's Mauryan elephant towers? 

[Dave Beatty]

Aha!  Found it.  Megasthenes Indika Fragment XXXV. Aelian, Hist. Anim. XIII.10. "Of the use of Horses and Elephants."
"The war-elephant, either in what is called the tower, or on his bare back in sooth, carries three fighting men, of whom two shoot from the side, while one shoots from behind." 

[tadamson]

Thanks for the point Tom!  Do you know the source for Chandragupta's Mauryan elephant towers?

I'll have to hunt it down.  I think it was in a 8th c version of the Siva-Dhanur-veda.  One of those where the 'commentary was several times bigger than the text.

[Duncan Head]

Aha!  Found it.  Megasthenes Indika Fragment XXXV. Aelian, Hist. Anim. XIII.10. "Of the use of Horses and Elephants."
"The war-elephant, either in what is called the tower, or on his bare back in sooth, carries three fighting men, of whom two shoot from the side, while one shoots from behind."

I'd say it's questionable whether that does in fact come entirely from Megasthenes. Strabo, who also draws on Megasthenes, simply says "With the elephant are four persons, the driver and three bowmen, who discharge arrows from his back". So the tower may be an addition by Ailian, who is of course writing at a period where towers are well known.

[Dave Beatty]

Aha!  Found it.  Megasthenes Indika Fragment XXXV. Aelian, Hist. Anim. XIII.10. "Of the use of Horses and Elephants."
"The war-elephant, either in what is called the tower, or on his bare back in sooth, carries three fighting men, of whom two shoot from the side, while one shoots from behind."

I'd say it's questionable whether that does in fact come entirely from Megasthenes. Strabo, who also draws on Megasthenes, simply says "With the elephant are four persons, the driver and three bowmen, who discharge arrows from his back". So the tower may be an addition by Ailian, who is of course writing at a period where towers are well known.

True enough Duncan, I had the same thought.  Piecing together Megasthenes from references in later writings is an interesting exercise in linguistics that is beyond my meager expertise.