There's a city in France (Chambery) in honour of the Indian Maratha with four elephants surrounding a fountain, they only have the front sculpted so they're called "les quatre sans cul": the four without ass because the sculptor apparently didn't know their anatomy
Is that actually true or just an urban legend? Full elephants would make the sculpture HUGE, it'd take up so much space
Sorry, I meant the claim that the sculptor not knowing how to make the back half. I definitely believe you on the name! That wiki page isn't available in English but I translated it and only found this:
The legend[Which?] says that this square is made up of four elephants without backs since its sculptor did not know how to do the back says the "ass" of the elephants. This is what would have given the name of the 4 without asses.
I read about the construction elsewhere and only having the fronts seemed deliberate
Oh right, yeah that one is probably gossip haha
I love a good urban legend
It'd be pretty easy to guess, honestly. Just saying "a lot like a cow, with legs like in the front" would cover it for sculptural purposes - the flattish tail being an excusable detail.
Medieval artists did a lot of this, although sometimes the results were less than perfect:
Damn, people really demand fully modeled elephant sculptures?
Of course, it's France after all π
Where war elephants were used so far
Grey is "yet to be used upon" let's be real
You can help by expanding this list!
Now do middleearth
I wish Lincoln accepted that set to fight in the Civil War.
There's a story of a logistical miracle right here... ππΌββοΈπ€
Those islands used to be connected ~2 million years ago, and thus all have native elephant populations.
Oh wow! I had no idea! π€©
Yep.
Although any reasonably large cargo boat should be able to carry an elephant, anyway. That would be how the Romans did it in Britain.
Edit: Maybe? Apparently the only source on that episode is from much later.
My guesses are: the Majapahits used war elephants at some point in the 14th century, or a British puppet used them in the 1800s.
Apparently, not very well, though. Poor olifants. ππΌββοΈ
poor phanties π
in age of empires, i would mass build them all the time. after using the "trade market trick"
How did they get to the islands
Elephants love to swim!
No. Way!
On ships.
But elephant big. Trireme small.
XIII? Or possible earlier?
EDIT: I'm reading this article. Look what you made me do! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_maritime_history
I am curious, is the Yellow in South Arabia in reference to Year of the Elephant or is that seen as not credible and there was a whole different Elephant event in that region I never knew about?
For the map enthused!
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