Late September 218 BC
The elephants cross
The 37 elephants cross on large rafts covered with earth, towed across by boats. Some of the frightened animals jump into the river and their drivers drown, but all the elephants reach the far bank.
Hannibal’s elephants crossing the Rhône on rafts, painting by Henri Motte, 1878Wikimedia Commons, Henri Motte, Public domain (Hannibal's army crossing the Rhone.jpg)
Hannibal learns that a Roman army has landed at the mouth of the river and sends 500 Numidian horsemen south. They meet 300 Roman cavalry sent up the east bank by Scipio and lose 240 men to the Romans’ 140. Hannibal decides against a battle: his cavalry screen the south while the infantry march north up the river towards the Alps. When Scipio reaches the camp three days later, it is empty.
Sources
- Polybius, Histories, book 3, 44 to 47.
- Livy, History of Rome, book 21, 28 to 32.
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