Section: Animals used in warfare
Variable: Elephant (All coded records)
The absence or presence of elephants as a military technology used in warfare.  
Elephant
#  Polity  Coded Value Tags Year(s) Edit Desc
1 Kachi Plain - Proto-Historic Period unknown Suspected Expert 1300 BCE 801 BCE
First century BCE historian Diodorus Siculus narrates a battle between a queen of Assyria (considered Shammuramat?) and an Indian polity in which the Indians used elephants. [1] In the 9th century BCE king Stabrobates of India used war elephants against a queen of Assyria (considered Shammuramat?). [2] Elephants used in warfare in India since at least 1000 BCE. [3] If "the first archaeologically recognizable, large post-Indus urban settlements are not earlier than the fifth century BC ... solidly visible states ... appear in a sudden profusion in the late first millennium B.C." [4] - who was king Stabrobates of India who used war elephants against a queen of Assyria (considered Shammuramat?) in the 9th century BCE? [2] One could infer king Stabrobates, if not based there himself, must have subdued and controlled the Kachi Plain region in order to invade Mesopotamia from ’India’. (Another source says Assyria invaded India and were driven out of Pakistan and India). [5] Diodorus Siculus says this too, queen Semiramis was based in Bactra (Bactria?). [1] If king Stabrobates’s polity controlled the Kachi Plain then we must code the according to the military technology he possessed. Note: one military historian estimates that the Assyrian army had a strategic range of 2000 km [6] which places the Indus region in reach of their forces.

[1]: Diodorus Siculus. Delphi Complete Works of Diodorus Siculus. Delphi Classics.

[2]: (Mayor 2014, 289) Adrienne Mayor. Animals in Warfare. Gordon Lindsay Campbell. ed. 2014. The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

[3]: (Mayor 2014, 290) Adrienne Mayor. Animals in Warfare. Gordon Lindsay Campbell. ed. 2014. The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

[4]: (Ahmed 2014, 64) Mukhtar Ahmed. 2014. Ancient Pakistan - An Archaeological History: Volume V: The End of the Harappan Civilization, and the Aftermath. Foursome Group.

[5]: (Kistler 2007, 18) John M Kistler. 2007. War Elephants. University of Nebraska Press. Lincoln.

[6]: (Gabriel 2002, 9) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


2 Deccan - Iron Age absent Confident Expert 1200 BCE 1000 BCE
According to Pliny the Elder, the Satavahana army, in the early first millennium CE, included 1,000 elephants. [1] Buddhist texts suggest "Indians had become skilled in taming and training elephants" by the early first millennium BCE." [2] Potent force by the fourth century BCE. [2]

[1]: U. Singh, A History of Ancient and Medieval India (2008), p. 382

[2]: (Eraly 2011, 165) Abraham Eraly. 2011. The First Spring: The Golden Age of India. Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.


3 Deccan - Iron Age absent Confident Uncertain Expert 999 BCE 700 BCE
According to Pliny the Elder, the Satavahana army, in the early first millennium CE, included 1,000 elephants. [1] Buddhist texts suggest "Indians had become skilled in taming and training elephants" by the early first millennium BCE." [2] Potent force by the fourth century BCE. [2]

[1]: U. Singh, A History of Ancient and Medieval India (2008), p. 382

[2]: (Eraly 2011, 165) Abraham Eraly. 2011. The First Spring: The Golden Age of India. Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.


4 Deccan - Iron Age present Confident Uncertain Expert 999 BCE 700 BCE
According to Pliny the Elder, the Satavahana army, in the early first millennium CE, included 1,000 elephants. [1] Buddhist texts suggest "Indians had become skilled in taming and training elephants" by the early first millennium BCE." [2] Potent force by the fourth century BCE. [2]

[1]: U. Singh, A History of Ancient and Medieval India (2008), p. 382

[2]: (Eraly 2011, 165) Abraham Eraly. 2011. The First Spring: The Golden Age of India. Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.


5 Kachi Plain - Proto-Historic Period present Inferred Expert 800 BCE
First century BCE historian Diodorus Siculus narrates a battle between a queen of Assyria (considered Shammuramat?) and an Indian polity in which the Indians used elephants. [1] In the 9th century BCE king Stabrobates of India used war elephants against a queen of Assyria (considered Shammuramat?). [2] Elephants used in warfare in India since at least 1000 BCE. [3] If "the first archaeologically recognizable, large post-Indus urban settlements are not earlier than the fifth century BC ... solidly visible states ... appear in a sudden profusion in the late first millennium B.C." [4] - who was king Stabrobates of India who used war elephants against a queen of Assyria (considered Shammuramat?) in the 9th century BCE? [2] One could infer king Stabrobates, if not based there himself, must have subdued and controlled the Kachi Plain region in order to invade Mesopotamia from ’India’. (Another source says Assyria invaded India and were driven out of Pakistan and India). [5] Diodorus Siculus says this too, queen Semiramis was based in Bactra (Bactria?). [1] If king Stabrobates’s polity controlled the Kachi Plain then we must code the according to the military technology he possessed. Note: one military historian estimates that the Assyrian army had a strategic range of 2000 km [6] which places the Indus region in reach of their forces.

[1]: Diodorus Siculus. Delphi Complete Works of Diodorus Siculus. Delphi Classics.

[2]: (Mayor 2014, 289) Adrienne Mayor. Animals in Warfare. Gordon Lindsay Campbell. ed. 2014. The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

[3]: (Mayor 2014, 290) Adrienne Mayor. Animals in Warfare. Gordon Lindsay Campbell. ed. 2014. The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

[4]: (Ahmed 2014, 64) Mukhtar Ahmed. 2014. Ancient Pakistan - An Archaeological History: Volume V: The End of the Harappan Civilization, and the Aftermath. Foursome Group.

[5]: (Kistler 2007, 18) John M Kistler. 2007. War Elephants. University of Nebraska Press. Lincoln.

[6]: (Gabriel 2002, 9) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


6 Kachi Plain - Proto-Historic Period unknown Suspected Expert 799 BCE 500 BCE
First century BCE historian Diodorus Siculus narrates a battle between a queen of Assyria (considered Shammuramat?) and an Indian polity in which the Indians used elephants. [1] In the 9th century BCE king Stabrobates of India used war elephants against a queen of Assyria (considered Shammuramat?). [2] Elephants used in warfare in India since at least 1000 BCE. [3] If "the first archaeologically recognizable, large post-Indus urban settlements are not earlier than the fifth century BC ... solidly visible states ... appear in a sudden profusion in the late first millennium B.C." [4] - who was king Stabrobates of India who used war elephants against a queen of Assyria (considered Shammuramat?) in the 9th century BCE? [2] One could infer king Stabrobates, if not based there himself, must have subdued and controlled the Kachi Plain region in order to invade Mesopotamia from ’India’. (Another source says Assyria invaded India and were driven out of Pakistan and India). [5] Diodorus Siculus says this too, queen Semiramis was based in Bactra (Bactria?). [1] If king Stabrobates’s polity controlled the Kachi Plain then we must code the according to the military technology he possessed. Note: one military historian estimates that the Assyrian army had a strategic range of 2000 km [6] which places the Indus region in reach of their forces.

[1]: Diodorus Siculus. Delphi Complete Works of Diodorus Siculus. Delphi Classics.

[2]: (Mayor 2014, 289) Adrienne Mayor. Animals in Warfare. Gordon Lindsay Campbell. ed. 2014. The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

[3]: (Mayor 2014, 290) Adrienne Mayor. Animals in Warfare. Gordon Lindsay Campbell. ed. 2014. The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

[4]: (Ahmed 2014, 64) Mukhtar Ahmed. 2014. Ancient Pakistan - An Archaeological History: Volume V: The End of the Harappan Civilization, and the Aftermath. Foursome Group.

[5]: (Kistler 2007, 18) John M Kistler. 2007. War Elephants. University of Nebraska Press. Lincoln.

[6]: (Gabriel 2002, 9) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.


7 Deccan - Iron Age present Confident Expert 699 BCE 300 BCE
According to Pliny the Elder, the Satavahana army, in the early first millennium CE, included 1,000 elephants. [1] Buddhist texts suggest "Indians had become skilled in taming and training elephants" by the early first millennium BCE." [2] Potent force by the fourth century BCE. [2]

[1]: U. Singh, A History of Ancient and Medieval India (2008), p. 382

[2]: (Eraly 2011, 165) Abraham Eraly. 2011. The First Spring: The Golden Age of India. Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.


8 French Kingdom - Late Bourbon absent Confident Expert -
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9 Proto-French Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
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10 French Kingdom - Late Capetian absent Confident Expert -
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11 Cahokia - Lohman-Stirling absent Confident Expert -
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12 Cahokia - Moorehead absent Confident Expert -
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13 Hallstatt B2-3 absent Confident Expert -
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14 Hallstatt C absent Confident Expert -
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15 Hallstatt D absent Confident Expert -
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16 French Kingdom - Early Valois absent Confident Expert -
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17 French Kingdom - Late Valois absent Confident Expert -
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18 Archaic Crete absent Confident Expert -
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19 Classical Crete absent Confident Expert -
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20 The Emirate of Crete absent Confident Expert -
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21 Final Postpalatial Crete absent Confident Expert -
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22 Geometric Crete absent Confident Expert -
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23 Hellenistic Crete absent Confident Expert -
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24 Monopalatial Crete absent Confident Expert -
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25 Neolithic Crete absent Confident Expert -
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26 New Palace Crete absent Confident Expert -
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27 Old Palace Crete absent Confident Expert -
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28 Postpalatial Crete absent Confident Expert -
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29 Prepalatial Crete absent Confident Expert -
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30 Iban - Pre-Brooke absent Confident Expert -
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31 Iban - Brooke Raj and Colonial absent Confident Expert -
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32 Canaan absent Confident Expert -
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33 Yehuda absent Confident Expert -
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34 Yisrael absent Confident Expert -
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35 Early A'chik absent Confident Expert -
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36 Late A'chik absent Confident Expert -
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37 Erligang absent Confident Expert -
Animal not present in region.
38 Erlitou absent Confident Expert -
Animal not present in region.
39 Hmong - Early Chinese unknown Suspected Expert -
we need expert input in order to code this variable
40 Hmong - Late Qing unknown Suspected Expert -
we need expert input in order to code this variable
41 Longshan absent Confident Expert -
Animal not present in region.
42 Late Qing present Confident Expert -
Used in warfare besides as pack animals. [1]

[1]: (North China Workshop 2016)


43 Yangshao absent Confident Expert -
Animal not present in region.
44 Neguanje absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
45 Tairona absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
46 Shuar - Colonial absent Confident Expert -
descriptions of raids make no mention of animals accompanying warriors
47 Egypt - Inter-Occupation Period present Inferred Expert -
Present in previous and subsequent periods.
48 Egypt - Mamluk Sultanate II absent Confident Expert -
The Mamluks did not use war elephants. [1]

[1]: (Nicolle 2014) Nicolle, D. 2014 Mamluk Askar 1250-1517. Osprey Publishing Ltd.


49 Egypt - New Kingdom Thutmosid Period absent Confident Expert -
elephants not used until Kushite military [1]

[1]: (http://www.afropedea.org/kush#TOC-Military)


50 Egypt - Saite Period unknown Suspected Expert -
North African elephants were used by the Ptolemies.
51 Egypt - Tulunid-Ikhshidid Period unknown Suspected Expert -
Imported from the Kachi plains region and used in processions and ceremony. [1] - but were elephants used in fighting?

[1]: Kennedy, the Armies of the Caliphs


52 Chuuk - Early Truk absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
53 Chuuk - Late Truk absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
54 Beaker Culture absent Inferred Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature.
55 French Kingdom - Early Bourbon absent Inferred Expert -
Absent in previous and subsequent periods.
56 Hallstatt A-B1 absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature.
57 Early Merovingian absent Confident Expert -
Not discussed in consulted literature RA.
58 Proto-Carolingian absent Confident Expert -
Not discussed in consulted literature RA.
59 La Tene A-B1 absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature.
60 La Tene C2-D absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature RA.
61 Ashanti Empire absent Confident Expert -
The sources establish no connection between domesticated animals and warfare logistics.
62 Hawaii II absent Confident Expert -
No elephants in Hawaii at this time.
63 Hawaii III absent Confident Expert -
No elephants in Hawaii at this time.
64 Kalingga Kingdom unknown Suspected Expert -
Java has a native species of elephant.
65 Kediri Kingdom present Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: (Sedwayati in Ooi 2004 (b), 707)


66 Medang Kingdom present Confident Expert -
Elephants were used in warfare. [1] Their riders were called maliman. [2]

[1]: (Gaukroger and Scott 2009, 134)

[2]: (Hall 2000, 65)


67 Deccan - Neolithic absent Confident Expert -
Buddhist texts suggest "Indians had become skilled in taming and training elephants" by the early first millennium BCE." [1]

[1]: (Eraly 2011, 165) Abraham Eraly. 2011. The First Spring: The Golden Age of India. Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.


68 Chalcolithic Middle Ganga unknown Suspected Expert -
Sources do not mention elephant remains in descriptions of relevant archaeological contexts.
69 Neolithic Middle Ganga unknown Suspected Expert -
Sources do not mention elephant remains in descriptions of relevant archaeological contexts.
70 Gupta Empire present Confident Expert -
"The Guptas retained the traditional wings of infantry and elephantry." [1]

[1]: (Roy 2016, 22) Kaushik Roy. 2016. Military Manpower, Armies and Warfare in South Asia. Routledge. Abingdon.


71 Akkadian Empire absent Confident Expert -
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72 Early Dynastic unknown Suspected Expert -
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73 Ur - Dynasty III absent Confident Expert -
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74 Elam - Crisis Period unknown Suspected Expert -
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75 Ilkhanate absent Confident Expert -
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76 Elam - Kidinuid Period unknown Suspected Expert -
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77 Elam - Igihalkid Period unknown Suspected Expert -
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78 Elam - Shutrukid Period unknown Suspected Expert -
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79 Elam I unknown Suspected Expert -
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80 Elam II unknown Suspected Expert -
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81 Elam III unknown Suspected Expert -
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82 Qajar unknown Suspected Expert -
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83 Elam - Shimashki Period unknown Suspected Expert -
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84 Elam - Early Sukkalmah unknown Suspected Expert -
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85 Elam - Late Sukkalmah unknown Suspected Expert -
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86 Latium - Bronze Age absent Confident Expert -
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87 Latium - Copper Age absent Confident Expert -
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88 Latium - Iron Age absent Confident Expert -
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89 Ostrogothic Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
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90 Rome - Republic of St Peter II absent Confident Expert -
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91 Papal States - High Medieval Period absent Confident Expert -
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92 Papal States - Early Modern Period I absent Confident Expert -
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93 Papal States - Early Modern Period II absent Confident Expert -
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94 Papal States - Renaissance Period absent Confident Expert -
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95 Exarchate of Ravenna absent Confident Expert -
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96 Early Roman Republic absent Confident Expert -
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97 Late Roman Republic absent Confident Expert -
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98 Middle Roman Republic absent Confident Expert -
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99 Roman Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
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100 Western Roman Empire - Late Antiquity absent Confident Expert -
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101 Republic of St Peter I absent Confident Expert -
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102 Republic of Venice III unknown Suspected Expert -
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103 Republic of Venice IV unknown Suspected Expert -
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104 Western Turk Khaganate unknown Suspected Expert -
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105 Satavahana Empire present Confident Expert -
According to Pliny the Elder, the Satavahana army included 1,000 elephants. [1]

[1]: U. Singh, A History of Ancient and Medieval India (2008), p. 382


106 Vakataka Kingdom present Confident Expert -
"The fighting force was divided into infantry, cavalry and the elephant corps." [1]

[1]: (Majumdar and Altekar 1986, 277) Anant Sadashiv Altekar. The Administrative Organisation. Ramesh Chandra Majumdar. Anant Sadashiv Altekar. 1986. Vakataka - Gupta Age Circa 200-550 A.D. Motilal Banarsidass. Delhi.


107 Vijayanagara Empire present Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: Michael Edwardes, A History of India: From the Earliest Times to the Present Day (1961), p. 121


108 Bazi Dynasty absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned by sources.
109 Dynasty of E absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned by sources.
110 Second Dynasty of Isin absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned by sources.
111 Isin-Larsa absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned by sources.
112 Ak Koyunlu absent Inferred Expert -
Certainly the Arabs of Sind, the Saffarids, and the later Buyids made almost no use of them at all." [1]

[1]: (Wink 1997, 102-103) Andre Wink. 1997. Al-Hind. The Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Volume II. The Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest 11th-13th Centuries. BRILL. Leiden.


113 Susiana - Muhammad Jaffar absent Confident Expert -
Not used for military purposes until much later
114 Elam - Awan Dynasty I absent Confident Expert -
Not in military use until much later
115 Formative Period absent Confident Expert -
Not used for military purposes until much later
116 Susiana A absent Confident Expert -
Not used for military purposes until much later
117 Susiana B absent Confident Expert -
Not used for military purposes until much later
118 Susiana - Early Ubaid absent Confident Expert -
Not used for military purposes until much later
119 Pre-Ceramic Period absent Confident Expert -
Not used for military purposes until much later
120 Seljuk Sultanate absent Inferred Expert -
Certainly the Arabs of Sind, the Saffarids, and the later Buyids made almost no use of them at all." [1]

[1]: (Wink 1997, 102-103) Andre Wink. 1997. Al-Hind. The Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Volume II. The Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest 11th-13th Centuries. BRILL. Leiden.


121 Susa I absent Confident Expert -
Not used for military purposes until much later
122 Susa II absent Confident Expert -
Not used for military purposes until much later
123 Icelandic Commonwealth absent Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: Axel Kristissen; Arni D Juliusson pers. comm. 2017


124 Asuka absent Confident Expert -
I could find no evidence of elephants - but no sources saying that they were not used either (although I think this is a very safe bet)
125 Japan - Initial Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful. And elephants are not native to Japan or its neighbouring regions.
126 Japan - Final Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful. And elephants are not native to Japan or its neighbouring regions.
127 Nara Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
I could find no evidence of elephants - but no sources saying that they were not used either (although I think this is a very safe bet)
128 OOpsian absent Confident Expert -
I could find no evidence of elephants - but no sources saying that they were not used either (although I think this is a very safe bet)
129 Kara-Khanids absent Inferred Expert -
Not available.
130 Khmer Kingdom present Confident Expert -
’A turbulent three decades followed Ang Chan’s death in 1566, during which one of his successors flirted dangerously with European powers, i.e. allowing Catholic missionaries to preach, and asking the Spaniards in Manila to help him fight his Thai enemies (luckily, this did not happen). Interestingly, this ruler claimed that for the joint operation, he could field 80,000 troops, 10,000 horses, and 12,000 elephants. These figures may have been exaggerated, but even so, it appears that Cambodia was still a power in Southeast Asia.’ [Footnote from page 229]: One late sixteenth century source, Christoval de Jacque states that King Reamea Chung Prei had only 400 war elephants (Groslier 1958:154), a more likely figure.’ [1] ’Military campaings were probably conducted in the Post-Classic period as they had been during the Classic Era, but on a lesser scale: it is doubtful if any king of Lovek or Udong could muster the armies that were fielded by rulers like Suryavarman II. There was no standing army - in times of war, the patron was expected to muster a force of his clients, and place himself or an officer designated by the king at the head. The arms that they bore were substantially like those wielded by Classic warriors, with the addition of firearms and canon (after 1600). Again the principle of five ruled, as there were five corps: the vanguard, the rear guard, the right flank, the left flank, and the central corps or main body of the army, where the king kept himself with his war elephants. These animals were strengthened magically from time to time by bring sprayed with water mixed with human bile (or so say our sources); magical ideas also led the warriors to cover themselves with protective amulets. The king would be surrounded by Brahmins who conducted ritual ablutions, and by soothsayers who were consulted on the placement of military camps and for auspicious days for military operations.’ [2]

[1]: (Coe 2003, p. 210)

[2]: (Coe 2003, p. 219)


131 Chenla present Confident Expert -
’One more text which is relevant, and probably belongs in [H] though possibly south of it in [K]-the exact provenance is unknown-is k.155, by a technical official, dhanyakarapati, "chief of the grain stocks", and one of only eight or nine such specialized functions mentioned in the pre-Angkor corpus, [Footnote 143: There are seven inscriptions by, or referring to, such technical or administrative specialists. The others are K.133 [I], a "chief ship pilot", mahanauvaha, in K.140 [K] a "master of all elephants," or "vassal king", samantagajapati; in K.765 [T] a mahanukrtavi-khyata, "celebrated for his great following"; in K725 three such titles or names of functions, samantanauvaha, "chief of the naval forces", mahasvaptai, "great chief of horse", sahasravargadhiptai, "chief of a group of a thousand"; in K726 yuddhapramukha, military officer; and the latest in date a certain mahavikrantakesari, a name meaning "great bold lion", probably indicating a military person, who is mentioned 4 times in K1029 [R].]’ [1] ’Jayavarman I was the great-grandson of Ishanavarman. His inscriptions indicate the tightening of central power and control over a considerable area, the creation of new titles and admin- istrators, and the availability of an army, the means of defense and destruction. A text described how King Jayavarman’s commands were obeyed by “innumerable vassal kings.” Jayavarman also strengthened the legal code: “Those who levy an annual tax, those who seize carts, boats, slaves, cattle, buffaloes, those who contest the king’s orders, will be punished.” New titles were accorded highly ranked retainers who fulfilled important posts in government. One lineage held the priestly position of hotar. Another functionary was a samantagajapadi, chief of the royal elephants, and a military leader; the dhanyakarapati would have controlled the grain stores. The king also appointed officials known as a mratan and pon to a sabha, or council of state. Another inscription prescribes the quantities of salt to be distributed by barge to various foundations and prohibits any tax on the ves- sels going up- or downriver. Thus Jayavarman I intensi- fied royal control over dependent fiefs begun by his great-grandfather, Ishanavarman. Thereafter this dynasty loses visibility, although the king’s daughter, Jayadevi, ruled from a center in the vicinity of ANGKOR.’ [2] ’Their contents inform us on two vital issues. The first is the use of official titles, such as President of the Royal Court, which was located at a centre called Purandarapura. Another prescribed punishment for those who disobey a royal order. Two brothers of high social standing were appointed to a variety of posts: officer of the royal guard, chief of rowers, military chief, and governor of Dhruvapura. Another highly-ranked courtier became chief of elephants, reminding us of the traditional role of elephants in warfare. A further text mentions a chief of the royal grain store. These high officials were rewarded with honorific symbols, such as a parasol embellished with gold. The trends already evident under Ishanavarman were greatly strengthened under his great grandson: with Jayavarman I, we can identify the establishment of a state. It was, however, ephemeral. Only one inscription of his daughter Jayadevi survives. Thereafter, the dynasty disappears from the historic record.’ [3]

[1]: (Vickery 1998, 125)

[2]: (Higham 2004, 75)

[3]: (Higham 2014b, 294)


132 Bronze Age Cambodia unknown Suspected Expert -
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133 Andronovo unknown Suspected Expert -
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134 Phoenician Empire absent Confident Expert -
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135 Saadi Sultanate absent Inferred Expert -
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136 Jenne-jeno I absent Confident Expert -
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137 Jenne-jeno II absent Confident Expert -
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138 Jenne-jeno III absent Confident Expert -
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139 Jenne-jeno IV absent Confident Expert -
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140 Mali Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
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141 Songhai Empire - Askiya Dynasty absent Confident Expert -
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142 Eastern Turk Khaganate unknown Suspected Expert -
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143 Khitan I unknown Suspected Expert -
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144 Early Mongols absent Confident Expert -
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145 Late Mongols unknown Suspected Expert -
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146 Rouran Khaganate unknown Suspected Expert -
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147 Shiwei unknown Suspected Expert -
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148 Second Turk Khaganate unknown Suspected Expert -
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149 Uigur Khaganate unknown Suspected Expert -
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150 Zungharian Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
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151 Later Wagadu Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
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152 Middle Wagadu Empire absent Confident Expert -
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153 Orokaiva - Pre-Colonial absent Confident Expert -
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154 Orokaiva - Colonial absent Confident Expert -
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155 Umayyad Caliphate unknown Suspected Expert -
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156 Sarazm unknown Suspected Expert -
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157 Byzantine Empire II absent Confident Expert -
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158 East Roman Empire absent Confident Expert -
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159 Hatti - Old Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
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160 Ottoman Emirate absent Confident Expert -
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161 Ottoman Empire I absent Confident Expert -
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162 Ottoman Empire II absent Confident Expert -
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163 Ottoman Empire III absent Confident Expert -
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164 Roman Empire - Dominate absent Confident Expert -
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165 Bronze Age Cambodia absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
166 Mongol Empire present Inferred Expert -
Possibly used in warfare as pack animals. [1]

[1]: (North China Workshop 2016)


167 Early Xiongnu absent Inferred Expert -
Highly unlikely to have existed in Orkhon Valley, let alone used for war
168 Xiongnu Imperial Confederation absent Confident Expert -
Highly unlikely to have existed in Orkhon Valley, let alone used for war.
169 Early Monte Alban I absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
170 Monte Alban II absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
171 Monte Alban III absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
172 Monte Alban IIIB and IV absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
173 Archaic Basin of Mexico absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
174 Aztec Empire absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
175 Epiclassic Basin of Mexico absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
176 Early Formative Basin of Mexico absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
177 Late Formative Basin of Mexico absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
178 Terminal Formative Basin of Mexico absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
179 Initial Formative Basin of Mexico absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
180 Middle Postclassic Basin of Mexico absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
181 Oaxaca - San Jose absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
182 Oaxaca - Tierras Largas absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
183 Kingdom of Norway II absent Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: Júlíusson and Kristissen, pers. comm. 2017


184 Cuzco - Early Intermediate II absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
185 Cuzco - Late Intermediate I absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
186 Cuzco - Late Intermediate II absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
187 Inca Empire absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
188 Wari Empire absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
189 Kachi Plain - Ceramic Neolithic absent Confident Expert -
Inferred due to lack of evidence of warfare [1]

[1]: (Kenoyer 1991, p. 347)


190 Kachi Plain - Pre-Urban Period absent Confident Expert -
Inferred due to lack of evidence of warfare [1]

[1]: (Kenoyer 1991, p. 347)


191 Sakha - Early absent Confident Expert -
Some of the sources mentioned horses, but not any other animals used in warfare. Elephants are extremely unlikely to have been in use
192 Sakha - Late absent Confident Expert -
Some of the sources mentioned horses, but not any other animals used in warfare. Elephants are extremely unlikely to have been in use
193 Egypt - Kushite Period present Confident Expert -
According to this source, for which we require expert confirmation: "Kushite military also fought with elephants. They were probably the first to use elephants in warfare in the ancient world. They trained war elephants for export to Egypt." [1]

[1]: (http://www.afropedea.org/kush#TOC-Military)


194 Fatimid Caliphate unknown Confident Expert -
Soldiers on Elephants took part in military parades. [1]

[1]: (Nicolle 1996, 65-69 and in Raymond 2000, 38)


195 Konya Plain - Late Bronze Age II absent Confident Expert -
Technology not found in archaeological evidence until much later
196 Byzantine Empire III absent Confident Expert -
Preiser-Kapeller says absent. [1]

[1]: (Preiser-Kapeller 2015) Institute for Medieval Research, Division of Byzantine Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences)


197 Konya Plain - Late Chalcolithic absent Confident Expert -
Technology not found in archaeological evidence until much later
198 Kingdom of Lydia absent Confident Expert -
No evidence for use in warfare yet
199 Konya Plain - Early Neolithic absent Confident Expert -
Technology not found in archaeological evidence until much later
200 Neo-Hittite Kingdoms absent Confident Expert -
Technology not found in archaeological evidence until much later
201 Early Illinois Confederation absent Confident Expert -
-
202 Haudenosaunee Confederacy - Early absent Confident Expert -
-
203 Haudenosaunee Confederacy - Late absent Confident Expert -
-
204 Cahokia - Early Woodland absent Confident Expert -
-
205 Cahokia - Emergent Mississippian II absent Confident Expert -
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206 Cahokia - Late Woodland II absent Confident Expert -
-
207 Cahokia - Middle Woodland absent Confident Expert -
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208 Cahokia - Late Woodland III absent Confident Expert -
-
209 Cahokia - Late Woodland I absent Confident Expert -
-
210 Cahokia - Sand Prairie absent Confident Expert -
-
211 Cahokia - Emergent Mississippian I absent Confident Expert -
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212 Oneota absent Confident Expert -
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213 Chagatai Khanate unknown Suspected Expert -
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214 Khanate of Bukhara unknown Suspected Expert -
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215 Ancient Khwarazm absent Confident Expert -
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216 Koktepe I unknown Suspected Expert -
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217 Koktepe II unknown Suspected Expert -
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218 Samanid Empire unknown Suspected Expert -
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219 Himyar I absent Confident Expert -
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220 Himyar II absent Confident Expert -
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221 Yemen - Qasimid Dynasty absent Confident Expert -
-
222 Rasulid Dynasty unknown Suspected Expert -
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223 Yemen - Tahirid Dynasty unknown Suspected Expert -
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224 Yemen Ziyad Dynasty unknown Suspected Expert -
-
225 Ghur Principality present Inferred Expert -
According to Andre Wink, Indian armies used frontal attacks lead by war elephants. The Ghurids used the attack-retreat tactics of Central Asian nomadic cavalry archers. [1] However, did the Ghurids also use war elephants, such as once established? Inferred that they did. The Ghaznavids, another Turkish-Islamic dynasty in Central Asia 977-1186 CE, used elephants and camels. [2]

[1]: (Asher and Talbot 2006, 28) Catherine B Asher. Cynthia Talbot. 2006. India Before Europe. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge.

[2]: (Bloom and Blair eds. 2009, 108) Johnathan M Bloom. Sheila S Blair. eds. 2009. Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture: Three-Volume Set. Volume I. Abarquh To Dawlat Qatar. Oxford University Press. Oxford.


226 Greco-Bactrian Kingdom present Confident Expert -
The area they occupied was the natural habitat of the Indian Elephant, and supplied other areas with the animal.
227 Hephthalites present Confident Expert -
Used in war against Peroz. [1]

[1]: Litvinskiĭ, B.A., and Unesco. “THE HEPHTHALITE EMPIRE.” In History of Civilizations of Central Asia. Vol. III The Crossroads of Civilizations A.D. 250 - 750, )Paris: Unesco, 1992.), p.143.


228 Kushan Empire present Confident Expert -
The inclusion of elephant riders among the vanguards are alluded to on some coins and in the Tsa pao-tsang ching. [1] Native Indian auxiliaries using elephants are also reported to have been in use. The elephants seem to have been used as an advance screen for the main force as well as shock troops. [2] "The Weilue describes how the population of eastern India ’ride elephants and camels into battle, but currently they provide military service and taxes to the Yuezhi [Kushans]’." [3]

[1]: B. N. Mukherjee, ’The Rise and Fall of the Kushana Empire’ (Calcutta, 1988), p. 330

[2]: The armies of Bactria 70 BC-450 AD, Montvert, 1997, pp. 57-57

[3]: (McLaughlin 2016, 80) Raoul McLaughlin. 2016. The Roman Empire and the Silk Routes: The Ancient World Economy and the Empires of Parthia, Central Asia and Han China. Pen and Sword History. Barnsley.


229 Peiligang absent Confident Expert -
"Dogs and pigs were the domesticated animals." [1]

[1]: (Liu and Chen 2012: 144, 107) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/DE5TU7HY.


230 Late Shang present Inferred Expert -
Two elephants found buried at Xibeigang. [1] 60 ivory elephant tusks found at Sanxingdui. [2] . Used in warfare, as pack animals. [3]

[1]: (Bagley 1999, 193) Bagley, Robert. 1999. "Shang Archaeology." eds. Loewe, Michael and Edward Shaughnessy. The Cambridge History of China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 124-136.

[2]: (Bavarian 2005) Bavarian, Behzad. July 2005. Unearthing Technology’s Influence on the Ancient Chinese Dynasties through Metallurgical Investigations, California State University. Northridge. http://library.csun.edu/docs/bavarian.pdf

[3]: (North China Conference 2016)


231 Sui Dynasty absent Inferred Expert -
Used against the Sui but not used by the Sui. "After the Sui army under Liu Fang crossed the Duli River, it was attacked by Champan troops on war elephants." [1]

[1]: (Graff 2002, 145) Graff, D A. 2002. Medieval Chinese Warfare, 300-900. Routledge. London


232 Shuar - Ecuadorian absent Confident Expert -
descriptions of raids make no mention of animals accompanying warriors
233 Badarian absent Confident Expert -
elephants not used until Kushite military [1]

[1]: (http://www.afropedea.org/kush#TOC-Military)


234 Egypt - Mamluk Sultanate I absent Confident Expert -
The Mamluks did not use war elephants. [1]

[1]: (Nicolle 2014) Nicolle, D. 2014 Mamluk Askar 1250-1517. Osprey Publishing Ltd.


235 Egypt - Mamluk Sultanate III absent Inferred Expert -
The Mamluks did not use war elephants. [1] However, three elephants (ceremonial use only?) observed in a procession departing for a campaign 1516 CE "decorated with pennants". [2]

[1]: (Nicolle 2014) Nicolle, D. 2014 Mamluk Askar 1250-1517. Osprey Publishing Ltd.

[2]: (Raymond 2000, 187)


236 Naqada II absent Confident Expert -
The long bronze dagger "was an intermediate stage before the appearance of the long straight sword introduced to Egypt late in the New Kingdom period by Sherden mercenaries and the ’Sea Peoples.’ (C. el Mahdy). [1]

[1]: (Healy 1992)


237 Konya Plain - Ceramic Neolithic absent Confident Expert -
Technology not found in archaeological evidence until much later
238 Konya Plain - Late Neolithic absent Confident Expert -
Technology not found in archaeological evidence until much later
239 Proto-Haudenosaunee Confederacy absent Confident Expert -
Not native to Americas.
240 Yemen - Late Bronze Age absent Confident Expert -
Elephant not local, their remains not mentioned in descriptions of relevant archaeological contexts.
241 Neolithic Yemen absent Confident Expert -
Elephant not local, their remains not mentioned in descriptions of relevant archaeological contexts.
242 Ptolemaic Kingdom I present Confident Expert -
African elephants (forest type) at Raphia (Ptolemy IV). [1] African forest Elephants. A few Indian elephants might have been used and bred in captivity. "Ptolemy II’s elephants came from southern Sudan, where he founded Ptolemais of the Huns in 270/69 BCE, and later from the Rd Sea area, where he founded other settlements (Philotera, Arsinoe and Berenice Troglodytica) Ptolemy III had to go further south along the Somalian coast, and the last hunts were organized toward the end of Ptolemy IV’s rule." [2] Follow-up reference: J G. Manning on Elephant hunting (i.e. supply of army). [3]

[1]: (Lloyd 2000, 395)

[2]: (Fischer-Bovet 2014, 153)

[3]: (Manning 2015, Personal Communication)


243 Ptolemaic Kingdom II present Confident Expert -
African elephants (forest type) at Raphia (Ptolemy IV). [1] African forest Elephants. A few Indian elephants might have been used and bred in captivity. "Ptolemy II’s elephants came from southern Sudan, where he founded Ptolemais of the Huns in 270/69 BCE, and later from the Rd Sea area, where he founded other settlements (Philotera, Arsinoe and Berenice Troglodytica) Ptolemy III had to go further south along the Somalian coast, and the last hunts were organized toward the end of Ptolemy IV’s rule." [2] Follow-up reference: J G. Manning on Elephant hunting (i.e. supply of army). [3]

[1]: (Lloyd 2000, 395)

[2]: (Fischer-Bovet 2014, 153)

[3]: (Manning 2015, Personal Communication)


244 Egypt - Thebes-Hyksos Period absent Inferred Expert -
Non-expert reference suggesting that elephants were not used until Kushite military - this needs to be confirmed.
245 Spanish Empire I absent Inferred Expert -
Inferred from the absence of elephants in previous polities in Cuzco.
246 Atlantic Complex absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature.
247 Carolingian Empire I absent Confident Expert -
David Baker says absent. [1]

[1]: David Baker. Personal communication to Seshat Databank.


248 Carolingian Empire II absent Confident Expert -
David Baker says absent. [1]

[1]: David Baker. Personal communication to Seshat Databank.


249 Middle Merovingian absent Confident Expert -
Not discussed in consulted literature RA.
250 La Tene B2-C1 absent Confident Expert -
Not mentioned in the literature.
251 Hawaii I absent Confident Expert -
No elephants in Hawaii at this time.
252 Java - Buni Culture unknown Suspected Expert -
Java has a native species of elephant.
253 Majapahit Kingdom present Confident Expert -
Elephants were used in warfare. [1] Their riders were called maliman. [2]

[1]: (Gaukroger and Scott 2009, 134)

[2]: (Hall 2000, 65)


254 Mataram Sultanate present Confident Expert -
Over the course of the Mataram era, elephants were increasingly used to meet the increasing transportation demands of gunpowder. [1]

[1]: (Charney 2004, 132)


255 Kingdom of Ayodhya present Inferred Expert -
"On a pillar of the Amravati Tope, 300 years later than that at Sanchi, is portrayed the scene thus described. ... part of the army is seen defending the walls of the citadel, and armed with straight and scythed-shaped swords, long spears, and long bows. In front the infantry is advancing, and the rear is brought up by horsemen and elephants. There are no chariots at Sanchi, but this is probably owing to some local peculiarity." [1] 300 years later than the Bhilsa Tope monuments so possibly referring to 200 CE.

[1]: (Egerton 2002, 13) Wilbraham Egerton. 2002 (1880). Indian and Oriental Arms and Armour. Dover Publications, Inc. Mineola.


256 Chalukyas of Badami present Confident Expert -
[1] "The Chalukyan army no doubt consisted of infantry, cavalry, chariots and elephants, besides the naval unit." [2] "In the classical age, Indian armies were still organized, as they had been a thousand years earlier, into four divisions: infantry, cavalry, chariots and elephants." [3]

[1]: H.V. Sreenivasa Murthy and R. Ramakrishnan, A History of Karnataka (1978), p. 75

[2]: (Dikshit 1980, 263) Durga Prasad Dikshit. 1980. Political History of the Chalukyas of Badami. Abhinav Publications. New Delhi.

[3]: (Eraly 2011, 163) Abraham Eraly. 2011. The First Spring: The Golden Age of India. Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.


257 Chalukyas of Kalyani present Confident Expert -
There was an officer in charge of cavalry and elephants, the kari-turaga (patta-)sahini. [1] "In the classical age, Indian armies were still organized, as they had been a thousand years earlier, into four divisions: infantry, cavalry, chariots and elephants." [2] "But there can be little doubt that war-elephants were not used in the same numbers under the Islamic dynasties of India as they were in the early medieval period and before. We have seen that the Arabic sources described the most important ninth- and tenth-century Hindu dynasties as equipped with tens of thousands or more elephants of various kinds. Although it is unlikely that these numbers indicated war-elephants in a state of readiness - they probably included the guessed number of untamed and half-tamed ones -, and although some of the figures are contradictory, they are larger than those of later times." [3]

[1]: K.A. Nilakanta Sastri, The Chalukyas of Kalyani, in G. Yazdan (ed), The Early History of the Deccan (1960), p. 391

[2]: (Eraly 2011, 163) Abraham Eraly. 2011. The First Spring: The Golden Age of India. Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.

[3]: (Wink 1997, 102-103) Andre Wink. 1997. Al-Hind. The Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Volume II. The Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest 11th-13th Centuries. BRILL. Leiden.


258 Sasanid Empire II present Confident Expert -
War elephants. [1] Present "despite the enormous logistic requirements." [2]

[1]: (Wilcox 1986, Plate E) Wilcox, P. 1986. Rome’s Enemies (3): Parthians and Sassanid Persians. Osprey Publishing.

[2]: (Ward 2014, 31) Ward, S R. 2014. Immortal, Updated Edition: A Military History of Iran and Its Armed Forces. Georgetown University Press.


259 Phrygian Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
No evidence for use in warfare yet, so I changed the code from unknown to absent
260 Post-Mauryan Kingdoms present Confident Expert -
According to Pliny the Elder, the Satavahana army, in the period following this one, included 1,000 elephants. [1] "In the classical age, Indian armies were still organized, as they had been a thousand years earlier, into four divisions: infantry, cavalry, chariots and elephants." [2] 1000 years earlier than the classical age would have included this period. Buddhist texts suggest "Indians had become skilled in taming and training elephants" by the early first millennium BCE." [3] Potent force by the fourth century BCE. [3]

[1]: U. Singh, A History of Ancient and Medieval India (2008), p. 382

[2]: (Eraly 2011, 163) Abraham Eraly. 2011. The First Spring: The Golden Age of India. Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.

[3]: (Eraly 2011, 165) Abraham Eraly. 2011. The First Spring: The Golden Age of India. Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.


261 Delhi Sultanate present Confident Expert -
Elephants were the preferred animal of war in India, partly because of a lack of success in breeding horses. [1] The importance of elephants is shown when, for example, in 1309 the ruler Ala-ud-din went on campaign to Southern India ’in order to seize elephants and treasures from the rulers of the south’ (as written in the chronicle Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi). [2] "But there can be little doubt that war-elephants were not used in the same numbers under the Islamic dynasties of India as they were in the early medieval period and before. We have seen that the Arabic sources described the most important ninth- and tenth-century Hindu dynasties as equipped with tens of thousands or more elephants of various kinds. Although it is unlikely that these numbers indicated war-elephants in a state of readiness - they probably included the guessed number of untamed and half-tamed ones -, and although some of the figures are contradictory, they are larger than those of later times." [3]

[1]: Asher, C.B and Talbot, C. 2006. India before Europe. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p28.

[2]: Kulke, H., & Rothermund, D. (2010). A History of India (Revised, Updated Edition, pp. 120.

[3]: (Wink 1997, 102-103) Andre Wink. 1997. Al-Hind. The Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Volume II. The Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest 11th-13th Centuries. BRILL. Leiden.


262 Safavid Empire absent Inferred Expert -
"Certainly the Arabs of Sind, the Saffarids, and the later Buyids made almost no use of them at all." [1]

[1]: (Wink 1997, 102-103) Andre Wink. 1997. Al-Hind. The Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Volume II. The Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest 11th-13th Centuries. BRILL. Leiden.


263 Gurjar-Pratihara Dynasty present Inferred Expert -
Elephants most common in Bengal, Kamrupa and Orissa and were very effective on the forested river plain. [1] "But there can be little doubt that war-elephants were not used in the same numbers under the Islamic dynasties of India as they were in the early medieval period and before. We have seen that the Arabic sources described the most important ninth- and tenth-century Hindu dynasties as equipped with tens of thousands or more elephants of various kinds. Although it is unlikely that these numbers indicated war-elephants in a state of readiness - they probably included the guessed number of untamed and half-tamed ones -, and although some of the figures are contradictory, they are larger than those of later times." [2]

[1]: (Roy 2013, 30) Kaushik Roy. 2013 Military Manpower, Armies and Warfare in South Asia. Routledge. London.

[2]: (Wink 1997, 102-103) Andre Wink. 1997. Al-Hind. The Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Volume II. The Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest 11th-13th Centuries. BRILL. Leiden.


264 Hoysala Kingdom present Confident Expert -
[1] "In the classical age, Indian armies were still organized, as they had been a thousand years earlier, into four divisions: infantry, cavalry, chariots and elephants." [2] "But there can be little doubt that war-elephants were not used in the same numbers under the Islamic dynasties of India as they were in the early medieval period and before. We have seen that the Arabic sources described the most important ninth- and tenth-century Hindu dynasties as equipped with tens of thousands or more elephants of various kinds. Although it is unlikely that these numbers indicated war-elephants in a state of readiness - they probably included the guessed number of untamed and half-tamed ones -, and although some of the figures are contradictory, they are larger than those of later times." [3]

[1]: H.V. Sreenivasa Murthy and R. Ramakrishnan, A History of Karnataka (1978), p. 117

[2]: (Eraly 2011, 163) Abraham Eraly. 2011. The First Spring: The Golden Age of India. Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.

[3]: (Wink 1997, 102-103) Andre Wink. 1997. Al-Hind. The Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Volume II. The Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest 11th-13th Centuries. BRILL. Leiden.


265 Kadamba Empire present Confident Expert -
[1] "In the classical age, Indian armies were still organized, as they had been a thousand years earlier, into four divisions: infantry, cavalry, chariots and elephants." [2]

[1]: Suryanatha Kamath, A Concise History of Karnataka (1980), p. 39

[2]: (Eraly 2011, 163) Abraham Eraly. 2011. The First Spring: The Golden Age of India. Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.


266 Kampili Kingdom unknown Suspected Expert -
"In the classical age, Indian armies were still organized, as they had been a thousand years earlier, into four divisions: infantry, cavalry, chariots and elephants." [1] Possible but Kampi Kingdom was a small state so question is whether they had the resources to maintain war elephants.

[1]: (Eraly 2011, 163) Abraham Eraly. 2011. The First Spring: The Golden Age of India. Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.


267 Kannauj - Varman Dynasty present Confident Expert -
Elephants "occupied the most important place in ancient Indian military organisation; and the study of the science of elephants like that of horses formed part of princely education." [1] Eastern India was the homeland of elephant breeding, west and north-west for horses. [2]

[1]: (Mishra 1977, 148) Shyam Manohar Mishra. 1977. Yaśovarman of Kanauj: A Study of Political History, Social, and Cultural Life of Northern India During the Reign of Yaśovarman. Abhinav Publications.

[2]: (Mishra 1977, 149) Shyam Manohar Mishra. 1977. Yaśovarman of Kanauj: A Study of Political History, Social, and Cultural Life of Northern India During the Reign of Yaśovarman. Abhinav Publications.


268 Magadha present Inferred Expert -
Elephants most common in Bengal, Kamrupa and Orissa and were very effective on the forested river plain. [1]

[1]: (Roy 2013, 30) Kaushik Roy. 2013 Military Manpower, Armies and Warfare in South Asia. Routledge. London.


269 Mahajanapada era present Confident Expert -
The later Vedic texts write about the occupations of people and mention that, "Chariots (rathas) were used for war and sport, and people rode on horses and elephants." [1]

[1]: R. S. Sharma, Material Background of Vedic Warfare, Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Dec., 1966),pp. 302-307.


270 Magadha - Maurya Empire present Confident Expert -
According to a military historian (this needs confirmation from a Mauryan specialist) elephants were used as shock troops. [1] Kautilya in the Arthashastra wrote: "The victory of kings (in battles) depends mainly upon elephants; for elephants, being of large bodily frame, are capable not only to destroy the arrayed army of an enemy, his fortifications, and encampments, but also to undertake works that are dangerous to life." [2]

[1]: Gabriel, Richard A. The great armies of antiquity. p. 218-220

[2]: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Arthashastra/


271 Mughal Empire present Confident Expert -
As well as horse-cavalry, elephants also used. [1] "But there can be little doubt that war-elephants were not used in the same numbers under the Islamic dynasties of India as they were in the early medieval period and before. We have seen that the Arabic sources described the most important ninth- and tenth-century Hindu dynasties as equipped with tens of thousands or more elephants of various kinds. Although it is unlikely that these numbers indicated war-elephants in a state of readiness - they probably included the guessed number of untamed and half-tamed ones -, and although some of the figures are contradictory, they are larger than those of later times." [2]

[1]: J.J.L. Gommans, Mughal Warfare: Indian Frontiers and Highroads to Empire 1500 1700. London: Routledge, 2002, p.158.

[2]: (Wink 1997, 102-103) Andre Wink. 1997. Al-Hind. The Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Volume II. The Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest 11th-13th Centuries. BRILL. Leiden.


272 Buyid Confederation unknown Suspected Expert -
A book called ’War Elephants’ (Nossov and Nossov 2012) lists Buyids in the index. Needs checking. "But there can be little doubt that war-elephants were not used in the same numbers under the Islamic dynasties of India as they were in the early medieval period and before. We have seen that the Arabic sources described the most important ninth- and tenth-century Hindu dynasties as equipped with tens of thousands or more elephants of various kinds. Although it is unlikely that these numbers indicated war-elephants in a state of readiness - they probably included the guessed number of untamed and half-tamed ones -, and although some of the figures are contradictory, they are larger than those of later times. Certainly the Arabs of Sind, the Saffarids, and the later Buyids made almost no use of them at all." [1]

[1]: (Wink 1997, 102-103) Andre Wink. 1997. Al-Hind. The Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Volume II. The Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest 11th-13th Centuries. BRILL. Leiden.


273 Elymais II absent Inferred Expert -
The Parthian did not use war elephants and the Elymaens would not have been able to source them. The Seleucids had some Indian elephants but they were received as a gift.
274 Rashtrakuta Empire present Confident Expert -
"Next to the infantry, cavalry and elephants occupy the place of pride in the military organization". [1] "In the classical age, Indian armies were still organized, as they had been a thousand years earlier, into four divisions: infantry, cavalry, chariots and elephants." [2] However, elephants were a less significant force for the Rashtrakuta army which "consisted mainly of infantry, for, as Al Masudi noted, ’the seat of this government was among the mountains,’ and it was impossible to deploy cavalry, elephants or chariots there.’ [2] "But there can be little doubt that war-elephants were not used in the same numbers under the Islamic dynasties of India as they were in the early medieval period and before. We have seen that the Arabic sources described the most important ninth- and tenth-century Hindu dynasties as equipped with tens of thousands or more elephants of various kinds. Although it is unlikely that these numbers indicated war-elephants in a state of readiness - they probably included the guessed number of untamed and half-tamed ones -, and although some of the figures are contradictory, they are larger than those of later times." [3]

[1]: N.S. Ramachandra Murthy, Military Administration of the Rashtrakutas in the Telugu Country, in B.R. Gopal, The Rashtrakutas of Malkhed (1994), p. 116

[2]: (Eraly 2011, 163) Abraham Eraly. 2011. The First Spring: The Golden Age of India. Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi.

[3]: (Wink 1997, 102-103) Andre Wink. 1997. Al-Hind. The Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Volume II. The Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest 11th-13th Centuries. BRILL. Leiden.


275 Ayutthaya present Confident Expert -
"Siamese chronicles refer to divisions of their elephants into different categories for battle, including shield, hinder and ordinary war elephants." [1] .

[1]: (Charney 2004, p. 154)


276 Rattanakosin present Confident Expert -
"War elephants survived in Southeast Asia longer than anywhere else. Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries they were employed to some extent in the armies of Burma, Cambodia, Siam, Vietnam, Laos and Malaysia." [1]

[1]: (Schliesinger 2015, p. 36)


277 Magadha - Sunga Empire present Confident Expert -
According to one military historian (this data needs to be confirmed by a polity specialist): "Indian armies of this period had within them a basic unit called the patti, a mixed platoon comprised of one elephant carrying three archers, or spearman and a mahout, three horse cavalymen armed with javelins, round buckler, and spear, and five infantry soldiers armed with shield and broad sword or bow." [1] Inferred from continuity with Mauryan polity . [2]

[1]: (Gabriel 2002, 218) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies Of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.

[2]: (Roy 2016, 19) Kaushik Roy. 2016. Military Manpower, Armies and Warfare in South Asia. Routledge. Abingdon.


278 Abbasid Caliphate I unknown Suspected Expert -
Imported from the Kachi plains region and used in processions and ceremony. [1] - but were elephants used in fighting?

[1]: (Kennedy, Hugh. The Armies of the Caliphs: Military and Society in the Early Islamic State. London; New York: Routledge, 2001. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/SGPPFNAZ/q/kennedy)


279 Abbasid Caliphate II absent Inferred Expert -
Certainly the Arabs of Sind, the Saffarids, and the later Buyids made almost no use of them at all." [1]

[1]: (Wink 1997, 102-103) Andre Wink. 1997. Al-Hind. The Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Volume II. The Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest 11th-13th Centuries. BRILL. Leiden.


280 Neo-Assyrian Empire absent Confident Expert -
In the 9th century BCE king Stabrobates of India invaded Assyria with war elephants. Assyria did not have any. Queen Semiramis dressed camels in elephant costumes to confuse enemy elephants but it didn’t work. [1]

[1]: (Mayor 2014, 289-290) Adrienne Mayor. Animals in Warfare. Gordon Lindsay Campbell. ed. 2014. The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life. Oxford University Press. Oxford.


281 Southern Mesopotamia Neolithic absent Confident Expert -
"In Iraq and Syria domesticated donkey appeared during the Late Uruk period (ca. 3600-3100 BCE) at Uruk (Boessneck et al., p. 166), Tell Rubeidheh (Payne, pp. 99-100), and Habuba Kabira (Strommenger and Bollweg, pp. 354-55)". [1]

[1]: (Potts 2012) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/DWHJQHHJ.


282 Ubaid absent Confident Expert -
"In Iraq and Syria domesticated donkey appeared during the Late Uruk period (ca. 3600-3100 BCE) at Uruk (Boessneck et al., p. 166), Tell Rubeidheh (Payne, pp. 99-100), and Habuba Kabira (Strommenger and Bollweg, pp. 354-55)". [1]

[1]: (Potts 2012) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/DWHJQHHJ.


283 Uruk absent Confident Expert -
Donkey was domesticated first. "In Iraq and Syria domesticated donkey appeared during the Late Uruk period (ca. 3600-3100 BCE) at Uruk (Boessneck et al., p. 166), Tell Rubeidheh (Payne, pp. 99-100), and Habuba Kabira (Strommenger and Bollweg, pp. 354-55)". [1]

[1]: (Potts 2012) Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/itemKey/DWHJQHHJ.


284 Achaemenid Empire present Confident Expert -
According to one military historian (data needs to be checked by an expert for this polity) "After conquests in India, the Persians introduced elephants into their armies." [1] With this reference we can date the code of present more precisely. Darius III of Persia had a few war elephants. [2] Indian war elephants at the Battle of Gaugamela in 331 BCE.

[1]: (Gabriel 2002, 162) Richard A Gabriel. 2002. The Great Armies of Antiquity. Praeger. Westport.

[2]: (Mayor 2014, 290) Adrienne Mayor. Animals in Warfare. Gordon Lindsay Campbell. ed. 2014. The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life. Oxford University Press. Oxford.


285 Susiana - Late Ubaid absent Confident Expert -
Not used for military purposes until much later
286 Parthian Empire I absent Confident Expert -
"elephants seem to play no part in the Parthian army". [1]

[1]: (Penrose 2008, 225) Penrose, Jane. 2008. Rome and Her Enemies: An Empire Created and Destroyed by War. Osprey Publishing.


287 Parthian Empire II absent Confident Expert -
"elephants seem to play no part in the Parthian army". [1]

[1]: (Penrose 2008, 225) Penrose, Jane. 2008. Rome and Her Enemies: An Empire Created and Destroyed by War. Osprey Publishing.


288 Sasanid Empire I present Confident Expert -
"The Christians of the Sasanian Empire were also persecuted when the city of Susa, which was the hotbed of Christian activity, was razed by the elephants of The Sasanian army. [1] According to Ammianus Marcellinus (XXIII, 6.75-80) "All of them without exception, even at banquets and on festal days, appear girt with swords; an old Greek custom". [2] Present "despite the enormous logistic requirements." [3]

[1]: (Daryaee 2012, 193) Daryaee, Touraj. The Sasanian Empire (224-651 CE). in Daryaee, Touraj. ed. 2012. The Oxford Handbook of Iranian History. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

[2]: (Nikitin 1996, 59) Nikitin, A. V. Customs, Arts and Crafts. in Iskender-Mochiri, I. ed. 1996. History of Civilizations of Central Asia. Volume III. The crossroads of civilizations: A.D. 250 to 750. pp.59-80. unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0010/001046/104612e.pdf

[3]: (Ward 2014, 31) Ward, S R. 2014. Immortal, Updated Edition: A Military History of Iran and Its Armed Forces. Georgetown University Press.


289 Seleucids present Confident Expert -
Seleucus I received 500 elephants in a peace-treaty exchange in 303 BCE with Chandragupta, the founder of the Mauryan empire. [1] Seleucids and Ptolemies "made heavy use of war elephants." [2] Seleucid had Indian elephants, Ptolemies had North African elephants. [2]

[1]: Aperghis, G. G. 2004. The Seleukid Royal Economy: The Finances and Financial Administration of the Seleukid Empire. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p20

[2]: (Mayor 2014, 291) Adrienne Mayor. Animals in Warfare. Gordon Lindsay Campbell. ed. 2014. The Oxford Handbook of Animals in Classical Thought and Life. Oxford University Press. Oxford.


290 Susa III absent Confident Expert -
Not in military use until much later
291 Roman Empire - Principate present Confident Expert -
Single elephant used by Caesar in Britain. Claudius (briefly) took several war elephants to Britain. Herd kept near Rome until 200 CE and used occasionally against the Gauls and Britons [1]

[1]: (Kistler, 2007, 167)


292 Ashikaga Shogunate absent Confident Expert -
I could find no evidence of elephants - but no sources saying that they were not used either (although I think this is a very safe bet)
293 Japan - Azuchi-Momoyama absent Confident Expert -
could find no evidence of elephants - but no sources saying that they were not used either (although I think this is a very safe bet)
294 Heian absent Confident Expert -
I could find no evidence of elephants - but no sources saying that they were not used either (although I think this is a very safe bet)
295 Japan - Incipient Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful. And elephants are not native to Japan or its neighbouring regions.
296 Japan - Early Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful. And elephants are not native to Japan or its neighbouring regions.
297 Japan - Middle Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful. And elephants are not native to Japan or its neighbouring regions.
298 Japan - Late Jomon absent Confident Expert -
No archaeological evidence for this. Moreover, the scholarly consensus is that the Jomon were relatively peaceful. And elephants are not native to Japan or its neighbouring regions.
299 Kamakura Shogunate absent Confident Expert -
I could find no evidence of elephants - but no sources saying that they were not used either (although I think this is a very safe bet)
300 Kansai - Kofun Period absent Confident Expert -
I could find no evidence of elephants - but no sources saying that they were not used either (although I think this is a very safe bet)
301 Warring States Japan absent Confident Expert -
I could find no evidence of elephants - but no sources saying that they were not used either (although I think this is a very safe bet)
302 Tokugawa Shogunate absent Confident Expert -
could find no evidence of elephants - but no sources saying that they were not used either (although I think this is a very safe bet)
303 Classical Angkor present Confident Expert -
’Armies did not consist of permanent standing armies but were raised ad hoc for particular campaigns by the great men of their provinces, who were responsible for supplying troops for royal service. Often enough, huge armies could be raised this way; Chau Ju-kua claims that the Khmers in his time had 200,000 elephants and many horses (albeit small ones). It is difficult to trust such figures. No doubt there could be enormous hordes of cheaply maintained foot soldiers - Chou Ta-kuan says that there had been universal conscription for a recent exhausting war against the Siamese - though the levies might be ill-trained and poorly equipped. Chou tells us that the Khmer soldiers were unclothed and barefoot; they lacked discipline and were poorly led’. [1] ’The ordinary Khmer soldiers as well as officers might carry a lance; or a bow, with the arrows being held in a quiver; or sabres of different length; or various sizes of knives and daggers; or a kind of halberd known as a phka’h. The latter was basically an iron axe mounted on a long handle curved at one end. At Angkor Wat, the phka’k is held in the hands of high-ranking warriors mounted on elephants or horses; it is still in use in the twentieth century for hunting or work in the forest. Crossbows were known, but are extremely rare in the reliefs.’ [2] ’The elephant was harnessed very simply, to judge by the few models found in the outer gallery of the Bayon (Fig. 17). It has a breast strap, a saddle girth, and a crupper of a special type, these three ropes being interlinked. To these should be added a headpiece and small bell around the back, attached to the breast strap.’ [3] ’The elephant was most clearly recorded during the Khmer empire dating from roughly 809 C.E. to 1431 C.E. During this time, the great temple of Angkor Wat and the Bayon were built.The frequent wars against theThais and Chams involved use of large “tuskers,” or superior male elephants, as well as elephants that carried men and goods. Elephants were important in moving the stones that built the temples, the logs that built the palaces, and the rice and other foods produced by the popu- lace to feed the royalty and the priests.The war elephants are wonderfully illustrated in the reliefs on the gallery walls of Angkor Wat. Similarly, many elephants are found among the carvings on the walls of Borobudur, the great Javanese Hindu-Buddhist temple dating to about 800 C.E.’ [4]

[1]: (Mabbett and Chandler 1995, p.156)

[2]: (Coe 2003, p. 185)

[3]: (Jacq-Hergoualc’h and Smithies 2007, p. 27)

[4]: (Griffin 2004, p. 486)


304 Early Angkor present Confident Expert -
’Armies did not consist of permanent standing armies but were raised ad hoc for particular campaigns by the great men of their provinces, who were responsible for supplying troops for royal service. Often enough, huge armies could be raised this way; Chau Ju-kua claims that the Khmers in his time had 200,000 elephants and many horses (albeit small ones). It is difficult to trust such figures. No doubt there could be enormous hordes of cheaply maintained foot soldiers - Chou Ta-kuan says that there had been universal conscription for a recent exhausting war against the Siamese - though the levies might be ill-trained and poorly equipped. Chou tells us that the Khmer soldiers were unclothed and barefoot; they lacked discipline and were poorly led’. [1] ’The ordinary Khmer soldiers as well as officers might carry a lance; or a bow, with the arrows being held in a quiver; or sabres of different length; or various sizes of knives and daggers; or a kind of halberd known as a phka’h. The latter was basically an iron axe mounted on a long handle curved at one end. At Angkor Wat, the phka’k is held in the hands of high-ranking warriors mounted on elephants or horses; it is still in use in the twentieth century for hunting or work in the forest. Crossbows were known, but are extremely rare in the reliefs.’ [2] ’The elephant was harnessed very simply, to judge by the few models found in the outer gallery of the Bayon (Fig. 17). It has a breast strap, a saddle girth, and a crupper of a special type, these three ropes being interlinked. To these should be added a headpiece and small bell around the back, attached to the breast strap.’ [3] ’The elephant was most clearly recorded during the Khmer empire dating from roughly 809 C.E. to 1431 C.E. During this time, the great temple of Angkor Wat and the Bayon were built.The frequent wars against theThais and Chams involved use of large “tuskers,” or superior male elephants, as well as elephants that carried men and goods. Elephants were important in moving the stones that built the temples, the logs that built the palaces, and the rice and other foods produced by the popu- lace to feed the royalty and the priests.The war elephants are wonderfully illustrated in the reliefs on the gallery walls of Angkor Wat. Similarly, many elephants are found among the carvings on the walls of Borobudur, the great Javanese Hindu-Buddhist temple dating to about 800 C.E.’ [4]

[1]: (Mabbett and Chandler 1995, p.156)

[2]: (Coe 2003, p. 185)

[3]: (Jacq-Hergoualc’h and Smithies 2007, p. 27)

[4]: (Griffin 2004, p. 486)


305 Konya Plain - Early Bronze Age absent Confident Expert -
Technology not found in archaeological evidence until much later
306 Late Angkor present Confident Expert -
’Military campaigns were probably conducted in the Post-Classic period as they had been during the Classic Era, but on a lesser scale: it is doubtful if any king of Lovek or Udong could muster the armies that were fielded by rulers like Suryavarman II. There was no standing army - in times of war, the patron was expected to muster a force of his clients, and place himself or an officer designated by the king at the head. The arms that they bore were substantially like those wielded by Classic warriors, with the addition of firearms and canon (after 1600). Again the principle of five ruled, as there were five corps: the vanguard, the rear guard, the right flank, the left flank, and the central corps or main body of the army, where the king kept himself with his war elephants. These animals were strengthened magically from time to time by bring sprayed with water mixed with human bile (or so say our sources); magical ideas also led the warriors to cover themselves with protective amulets. The king would be surrounded by Brahmins who conducted ritual ablutions, and by soothsayers who were consulted on the placement of military camps and for auspicious days for military operations.’ [1]

[1]: (Coe 2003, p. 219)


307 Funan I present Inferred Expert -
There is a reference in the Chinese text to tame elephants being brought from Funan. [1] Later accounts mention "chief of king’s elephant" as a duty for slaves. [2] This shows that the Funanese were using elephants as early as the 4th century CE, since elephants were known to be used in warfare and transport in the Angkoria period, we could assume that the practice started in Funan

[1]: (Vickery 2003, p. 112)

[2]: (Jacob 1979, p. 418)


308 Funan II present Inferred Expert -
There is a reference in the Chinese text to tame elephants being brought from Funan. [1] Later accounts mention "chief of king’s elephant" as a duty for slaves. [2] This shows that the Funanese were using elephants as early as the 4th century CE, since elephants were known to be used in warfare and transport in the Angkoria period, we could assume that the practice started in Funan

[1]: (Vickery 2003, p. 112)

[2]: (Jacob 1979, p. 418)


309 Bamana kingdom absent Inferred Expert -
Not mentioned in discussion of "Horses and other animals used in war" for pre-colonial West Africa. [1]

[1]: (Smith 1989, 89-91) Robert Sydney Smith. 1989. Warfare & Diplomacy in Pre-colonial West Africa. Second Edition. The University of Wisconsin Press. Madison.


310 Segou Kingdom absent Inferred Expert -
Not mentioned in discussion of "Horses and other animals used in war" for pre-colonial West Africa. [1]

[1]: (Smith 1989, 89-91) Robert Sydney Smith. 1989. Warfare & Diplomacy in Pre-colonial West Africa. Second Edition. The University of Wisconsin Press. Madison.


311 Xianbei Confederation absent Confident Expert -
Highly unlikely to have existed in Orkhon Valley, let alone used for war.
312 Late Xiongnu absent Confident Expert -
highly unlikely to have existed in Orkhon Valley, let alone used for war
313 Monte Alban Late I absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
314 Monte Alban V absent Confident Expert -
Species was not present at this time in the American continents. [1] [2]

[1]: Marcus, J. and K. V. Flannery (1996). Zapotec civilization: How urban society evolved in Mexico’s Oaxaca Valley, Thames and Hudson London.

[2]: Flannery, K. V. and J. Marcus (1983). "The Cloud People." New York, p36


315 Classic Basin of Mexico absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
316 Middle Formative Basin of Mexico absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
317 Oaxaca - Rosario absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
318 Toltecs absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
319 Cuzco - Early Intermediate I absent Confident Expert -
Not native to region.
320 Cuzco - Late Formative absent Confident Expert -
Not native to this region.
321 Kachi Plain - Aceramic Neolithic absent Confident Expert -
Inferred due to lack of evidence of warfare [1]

[1]: (Kenoyer 1991, p. 347)


322 Kachi Plain - Chalcolithic absent Confident Expert -
Inferred due to lack of evidence of warfare [1]

[1]: (Kenoyer 1991, p. 347)


323 Indo-Greek Kingdom present Confident Expert -
The area they occupied was the natural habitat of the Indian elephant, and they supplied other areas with the animal. Elephants used by Demetrius in 190 BC. [1]

[1]: Docherty, Paddy. The Khyber Pass: a history of empire and invasion. Union Square Press, 2008. pp.64


324 Kachi Plain - Post-Urban Period absent Confident Expert -
Although ivory is present at Pirak, it is assumed to be imported and that there were no elephants at Pirak. [1]

[1]: Jarrige, J-F. (1979) Fouilles de Pirak. Paris : Diffusion de Boccard.


325 Middle Bronze Age in Central Anatolia absent Confident Expert -
Technology not found in archaeological evidence until much later
326 Byzantine Empire I absent Confident Expert -
Preiser-Kapeller says absent. [1]

[1]: (Johannes Preiser-Kapeller 2015) Institute for Medieval Research, Division of Byzantine Research, Austrian Academy of Sciences


327 Konya Plain - Early Chalcolithic absent Confident Expert -
Technology not found in archaeological evidence until much later
328 Hatti - New Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
Technology not found in archaeological evidence until much later
329 Rum Sultanate absent Inferred Expert -
The closest reference to elephants currently found are to soldiers who rode on elephants in military parades in the Ayyubid Sultanate. [1] No data for Seljuks, Fatimids or Abbasids. Highly likely to be absent on the basis alone that there were no elephants native to the region.

[1]: (Nicolle 1996, 65-69 and in Raymond 2000, 38)


330 Sind - Abbasid-Fatimid Period present Inferred Expert -
Ghaznavids, another Turkish-Islamic dynasty in Central Asia 977-1186 CE, used elephants and camels. [1] Used on Kachi plain. [2] "But there can be little doubt that war-elephants were not used in the same numbers under the Islamic dynasties of India as they were in the early medieval period and before. We have seen that the Arabic sources described the most important ninth- and tenth-century Hindu dynasties as equipped with tens of thousands or more elephants of various kinds. Although it is unlikely that these numbers indicated war-elephants in a state of readiness - they probably included the guessed number of untamed and half-tamed ones -, and although some of the figures are contradictory, they are larger than those of later times. Certainly the Arabs of Sind, the Saffarids, and the later Buyids made almost no use of them at all." [3]

[1]: (Bloom and Blair eds. 2009, 108) Johnathan M Bloom. Sheila S Blair. eds. 2009. Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture: Three-Volume Set. Volume I. Abarquh To Dawlat Qatar. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

[2]: Kennedy, the Armies of the Caliphs

[3]: (Wink 1997, 102-103) Andre Wink. 1997. Al-Hind. The Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Volume II. The Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest 11th-13th Centuries. BRILL. Leiden.


331 Sind - Samma Dynasty unknown Suspected Expert -
Used as war-elephants. [1] Was this reference for the Delhi Sultanate only? The Samma, like the Soomras did not seem to have had access to Elephants, but did have access to cavalry. [2] "But there can be little doubt that war-elephants were not used in the same numbers under the Islamic dynasties of India as they were in the early medieval period and before. We have seen that the Arabic sources described the most important ninth- and tenth-century Hindu dynasties as equipped with tens of thousands or more elephants of various kinds. Although it is unlikely that these numbers indicated war-elephants in a state of readiness - they probably included the guessed number of untamed and half-tamed ones -, and although some of the figures are contradictory, they are larger than those of later times. Certainly the Arabs of Sind, the Saffarids, and the later Buyids made almost no use of them at all." [3]

[1]: Digby, Simon. War-horse and Elephant in the Dehli Sultanate: A Study of Military Supplies. Oxford: Orient Monographs, 1971.

[2]: Panhwar, M. H. "Chronological Dictionary of Sind, (Karachi, 1983) pp. 192-3, 196-197

[3]: (Wink 1997, 102-103) Andre Wink. 1997. Al-Hind. The Making of the Indo-Islamic World. Volume II. The Slave Kings and the Islamic Conquest 11th-13th Centuries. BRILL. Leiden.


332 Kachi Plain - Urban Period I absent Confident Expert -
"The fauna of the greater Indus region included the Indian elephant (Elephas maximus). Ivory, which probably came mainly from the elephant, was extensively used by the Harappans: At Mohenjo-daro it was more common than bone as a material for making artifacts. Elephant bones have been recovered from a number of sites throughout the Indus region, from Lothal and Surkotada in Gujarat, to Mohenjo-daro and Chanhu-daro in Sindh, and to Harappa and Kalibangan in the east; although elephants could have been hunted for their meat, these bones may suggest that tame elephants were employed as work animals, to haul logs, for example. Further suggestive evidence of tame elephants comes from representations on seals of elephants apparently wearing a cloth over their back, and a clay model of elephant’s head with painted designs on its forehead: Elephants are similarly decorated with paint on festive days in modern South Asia." [1]

[1]: (McIntosh 2008, 131) Jane McIntosh. 2008. The Ancient Indus Valley. Santa Barbara; Denver; Oxford: ABC-CLIO.


333 Kachi Plain - Urban Period II absent Confident Expert -
"The fauna of the greater Indus region included the Indian elephant (Elephas maximus). Ivory, which probably came mainly from the elephant, was extensively used by the Harappans: At Mohenjo-daro it was more common than bone as a material for making artifacts. Elephant bones have been recov- ered from a number of sites throughout the Indus region, from Lothal and Surkotada in Gujarat, to Mohenjo-daro and Chanhu-daro in Sindh, and to Harappa and Kalibangan in the east; although elephants could have been hunted for their meat, these bones may suggest that tame elephants were employed as work animals, to haul logs, for example. Further suggestive evidence of tame elephants comes from representations on seals of elephants apparently wearing a cloth over their back, and a clay model of elephant’s head with painted designs on its forehead: Elephants are similarly decorated with paint on festive days in modern South Asia." [1]

[1]: (McIntosh 2008, 131)


334 Tabal Kingdoms absent Confident Expert -
No evidence for use in warfare yet
335 Kingdom of Hawaii - Kamehameha Period absent Confident Expert -
[1]

[1]: Kuykendall, Ralph S. 1968[1938]. The Hawaiian Kingdom, Volume 1: 1778-1854, Foundation and Transformation. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.


336 Sogdiana - City-States Period unknown Suspected Expert -
The Varakhsha wall paintings represent "hunting scenes and monsters attacking mounted elephants" [1] which indicates that elephants were considered appropriate mounts. They might have been used for warfare.

[1]: (Frumkin 1970, 122)


337 Gahadavala Dynasty present Confident Expert -
"Moreover, the villages were also impotant as the feed the elephants and the horses, which were an integral part of the military warfare machinery, used to come from them." [1]

[1]: (Yadav 2011: 360-361) Yadav, D. 2011. ASPECTS OF RURAL SETTLEMENT UNDER THE GAHAAVALA DYNASTY: C. 11 TH CENTURY CE TO 13 TH CENTURY CE (AN INSCRIPTIONAL ANALYSIS). Proceedings of the Indian History Congress , 2011, Vol. 72, PART-I (2011), pp. 360-367. Seshat URL: https://www.zotero.org/groups/1051264/seshat_databank/items/F8STV588/library


338 Timurid Empire present Confident Expert -
1402 CE they had on the battlefield "war elephants seized after the sacking of Delhi in 1398." [1]

[1]: (Marozzi 2004, 3) Marozzi, J. 2004. Tamerlane. HarperCollinsPublishers. London.


339 Yemen - Era of Warlords absent Inferred Expert -
Inferred from the absence of elephants in previous and subsequent polities in the Yemeni Coastal Plain.
340 British Empire IIIIIIIIII present Confident Expert -
"As these campaigns placed a premium upon careful logistical preparations, Victorian commanders and their staffs became adept at calculating their supply, transport, and support arrangements. They repeatedly had to cope with difficulties of transportation, especially the variable quality of animals procured and the poor standards of animal husbandry in the field. They often had to procure vast numbers of animals (in Zululand, Lord Chelmsford ultimately employed 27,000 oxen and 5,000 mules to haul over 2,5000 vehicles), and had to adapt their transport to local circumstances. They employed bullock carts, elephants, and camels in India, waggons drawn by oxen and mules in southern Africa, bearers in west Africa, boats in Perak, and pack-animals in mountains and across roadless country." [1] Rifled-breech loaders "were soon transferred to elephants ... to form an improvised, and the first RA mountain battery". [2]

[1]: (Spiers 1996, 198) Edward Spiers. The Late Victorian Army 1868-1914. David G Chandler. Ian Beckett. eds. 1996. The Oxford History of the British Army. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

[2]: (Barthorp 1988, 12) Michael Barthorp. 1988. The British Army on Campaign. 1856-1881. Osprey Publishing Ltd.


341 Kidarite Kingdom absent Confident Expert -
-
342 Tocharians unknown Suspected Expert -
-
343 Northern Wei unknown Suspected Expert -
-
344 Ayyubid Sultanate unknown Suspected Expert -
-