Syrian Elephant
| Syrian Elephant | |
|---|---|
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| Mosaic of en elephant attacking a feline from Roman Syria | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Proboscidea |
| Family: | Elephantidae |
| Genus: | Elephas |
| Species: | Elephas maximus |
| Trinomial name | |
| Elephas maximus asurus |
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The Syrian elephant (Elephas maximus asurus) is a proposed name for the westernmost population of the Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus) which became extinct in ancient times.[1] Skeletal remains of Elephas maximus asurus have been recorded from the Middle East (Turkey, Iraq and Syria) from periods dating between 3 million years BC to 100 years BC.[2]
Ancient Syrian craftsmen used the tusks of E. m. asurus to make ivory carvings. In Syria, the production of ivory items was at its maximum during the first millennium BC, when the Aramaeans made splendid ivory inlay for furniture. This overhunting of Syrian elephants for ivory ultimately resulted in their extinction by around 100 BC.
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[edit] Description
Syrian elephants were among the largest Asian Elephants subspecies that survived into historic times, measuring 3.5 metres (11 ft 6 in) or more at the shoulder. Skeletal remains show that it did not differ much from the Indian subspecies, except in size.
[edit] Controversy
"Syrian" elephants are frequently mentioned in Hellenistic history; the Seleucid kings, who maintained numerous war elephants, reigned in Syria during that period. These elephants are believed by some to be Indian elephants (E. m. indicus), which had been acquired by the Seleucid kings during their eastern expansions. It is attested by ancient sources such as Strabo[3] and Polybius [4] that Seleucid kings Seleucus I and Antiochus III had large quantities of imported Indian elephants. Whether these Indian elephants were imported due to scarcity of native Syrian elephants or due to their accomplished training and domestication as war elephants remains unclear.
Hannibal had a war elephant known as "Surus"; it has been suggested to mean "the Syrian." It was said to have been his best (and biggest) elephant.[who?] In that case, the elephant may have been of Seleucid stock. If it was in fact of native Syrian stock or an imported Indian elephant remains subject to speculation. (The usual Carthaginian war elephants, despite popular depictions, were the smaller North African elephants [Loxodonta africana pharaoensis], an African bush elephant population or subspecies also now extinct.)
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Choudhury, A., Lahiri Choudhury, D.K., Desai, A., Duckworth, J.W., Easa, P.S., Johnsingh, A.J.T., Fernando, P., Hedges, S., Gunawardena, M., Kurt, F., Karanth, U., Lister, A., Menon, V., Riddle, H., Rübel, A. & Wikramanayake, E. (2008). Elephas maximus. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 28 October 2008.
- ^ http://www.tabiattarihi.ege.edu.tr/en/
- ^ Strabo 15.2.1(9)
- ^ Polybius 11.39
