From the authors:
[1]
Scīpiōnis legiōnēs X, elephantī CXX classēsque esse complūrēs (Bellum
Āfricum) │ ten legions under the command of Scipio; a
hundred and twenty elephants, and fleets in abundance.
[2]
cēperint amplius tria mīlia hominum, paulō minus mīlle equōrum, ūndēsexāgintā
mīlitāria signa, septem elephantōs, quīnque in proeliō occīsīs (Livy)
│ (The Romans) … made prisoners of more than
3000, captured somewhat less than 1000 horses, 59 military standards, 7
elephants, 5 having been killed in the battle
suprā tredecim
mīlia hostium caesa, suprā duo milia capta cum signīs duōbus et quadrāgintā et novem
elephantīs (Livy) │ Over 13,000 of the enemy were killed, more
than 2000 made prisoners, 42 standards and 9 elephants were also taken.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_war_elephants
[3] Pliny the
Elder in Book 8 of the Natural History (Nātūrālis Historia) writes about
elephants. Below are some extracts; judging by Pliny’s comments in the first
extract, we could do with a few elephants in Parliament:
[i]
Ad reliqua trānseāmus animālia et prīmum terrestria. Maximum est elephāns
proximumque hūmānīs sēnsibus, quippe intellēctūs illīs sermōnis patriī et
imperiōrum obēdientia, officiōrum quae didicēre memoriā, …
Let
us pass to the rest of the animals, and first those that live on land. The
largest land animal is the elephant, and it is the nearest to man in
intelligence: it understands the language of its country and obeys orders,
remembers duties that it has been taught …
[ii] Rōmae iūnctī
prīmum subiēre currum Pompēī Magnī Āfricānō triumphō │
At Rome they were first used in harness to draw the chariot of Pompey the Great
in his African triumph
[iii] Mūciānus III
cōnsul auctor est aliquem ex iīs et litterārum ductus Graecārum didicisse …
Mucianus who was
three times consul* states that one of them [i.e. one elephant] actually learnt
the shapes of the Greek letters … (*That apparently makes him an authority on
elephants!)
[iv] This is
possibly where the myth began …
… animālium maximē ōdēre mūrem et, sī pābulum in praesēpiō positum
attingī ab eō vidēre, fastīdiunt │ They hate the mouse worst of living
creatures, and if they see one merely touch the fodder placed in
their stall they refuse it with disgust.
https://www.elephantsanctuary.co.za/blog/140-are-elephants-afraid-of-mice
Sadly, some things
(infuriatingly) don’t change …
[v] nunc dentium
causā pedēs eōrum iaculantur aliōquī mollissimōs │
At the present day (hunters) for the sake of their tusks shoot them with
javelins in their feet, which in fact are extremely soft.
[3] Referring to
camels, Pliny writes …
omnēs autem iūmentōrum
ministeriīs dorsō funguntur atque etiam equitātūs in proeliīs │
all however perform the services of beasts of burden, and also of
cavalry in battles
odium adversus equōs
gerunt nātūrāle │ they
possess an innate hatred for horses
sitim et quadriduō
tolerant │ they can endure thirst for as much as four
days
vīvunt
quīnquāgēnīs annīs, quaedam et centēnīs. utrimque rabiem et ipsae sentiunt │
they live for fifty years, some even for a hundred; although even camels are
liable to rabies
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/L/Roman/Texts/Pliny_the_Elder/8*.html
https://www.attalus.org/translate/pliny_hn8a.html
[4] mūlus, -ī
[2/m]: mule, but as a term of abuse …
Lesbia mī
praesente virō mala plūrima dīcit: │ Lesbia says many bad things of me in front
of her husband:
haec illī fatuō maxima laetitia est. │ These are the source of greatest joy for
that stupid man.
mūle. nihil sentīs? │ Fool, do you perceive nothing?
(Catullus 83)
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