Most of us know Hannibal and Carthage had war elephants. The Romans were, if anything, brutal pragmatists when facing the enemy. Of course, why risk the lives of Legionnaires when you can send screaming flaming swine at the enemy? Turns out Carthaginian war elephants will flee from flaming pigs.
I greatly enjoyed the Punic Wars, but I must have missed the part of the flaming pigs of death. Truth is war elephants were used for hundreds of years in India (Alexander the Great faced them) and the practice spread to Carthage. Flaming war pigs were just one tactic, there were a variety of techniques that neutralized this weapon.
Pigs aside, that series of wars could have gone the other way, and (had it done so) history would have forever been changed. Worst? Better? Hard to say. Carthage and Rome (in terms of people and government) shared some similarities, although it was the Roman citizens who ultimately ended up defeating Carthage. Heck, the Romans even (after the fact) tied their own origins to Troy and Carthage.
Mental Floss: Roast Pork
Songfacts: War Pigs
AoSHQ: Morning Report 05.24.21
