Hannibal ’s crossing of the Alps has confounded historiographer for two millenary . The fabled Carthaginian commander somehow got more than 30,000 troops , 15,000 horses and mules , and 37 elephants up and over the mint and into opposition dominion . Now researchers lay claim they canconfirm where he did it , thanks to the biological evidence the horses left behind . Thestudyappears online in the journalArchaeometry .
Romans and Carthaginians battle in the Second Punic War from 218 to 201 BCE . In the first class of the battle , Hannibal fructify his sights on Roman Italy . Had the Romans known of his plans , they might have laughed ; after all , Hannibal and his troops stand on the other side of an enormous mountain chain of mountains .
But it would be Hannibal who had the last laughter in this tarradiddle . He led his party up the treacherous slopes , miss many men and beast along the means . Somewhere amid the impassible peaks , he found a manner through . But where ? assimilator and men of history , include Napoleon , have offer many theory , but there ’s been no grounds — until now .
Using genetical depth psychology , environmental chemistry , pollen analytic thinking , and geomorphic investigation , scientist have identified what they call a “ mass deposition result ” near a liberty chit jazz today as the Col de la Traversette . ( By “ mass deposition , ” they mean that a whole bunch of creature pooped in the same space at the same time . )
" The deposition lies within a churned - up mass from a 1 - metre loggerheaded alluvial slack , produced by the constant effort of thousands of animals and man , ” Centennial State - writer Chris Allensaidin a press argument . “ Over 70 per centum of the microbes in horse manure are from a group known as theClostridia , that are very unchanging in filth — survive for 1000 of years . We found scientifically significant grounds of these same hemipteron in a genetical microbic theme song just date to the time of the Carthaginian invasion . "
In addition to the microbial grounds , the height of the pass — virtually two miles above sea level — makes it fairly unlikely that an enormous group of defecating animate being had assembled there by concurrence .
The researchers also found mansion of sawhorse tapeworms in the manure . psychoanalysis of the muck is still ongoing , but they ’re crossing their fingers for elephant turds . “ There is even the possibility of find an elephant tapeworm egg , ” AllentoldThe Guardian . " This would really be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow . "
Long before he found any evidence , lead author Bill Mahaney had spent an awful circle of time thinking about Hannibal . In add-on to this study , Mahaney is also the author ofThe Warmaker , a novel about Hannibal ’s crossing of the Alps .
“ I have been in the field for farsighted times with 100 people , and I can tell you it can be pandemonium , ” Mahaney toldThe Guardian . “ How Hannibal managed to get thousands of men , horses and mule , and 37 elephants over the Alps is one magnificent exploit . ”
