[aryonoco]

Hannibal knew the elephants would have minimal impact by themselves, they were mainly an instrument of shock and awe and served their purpose well.

For centuries, Romans had grabbed land and defeated enemies mostly by projecting immense power and using shock and awe tactics. Hannibal of course learnt a lot about Roman tactics from his father, Hamilcar, and the “treachery” with which Rome had taken Sicily off Carthaginians. But he also grew up in Spain, in close proximity to Romans, and studied them and their methods for years.

He knew he needed to have an instrument of shock and awe himself, something the Romans had never seen before, and elephants were perfect for that.

For those interested, the Rest is History podcast did a 4 series on Hannibal last year which is highly engaging and informative

https://therestishistory.com/series/hannibal