Battle elephants served the same function as the chariot armed with blades but were
also able to operate on uneven ground. In battle formation they were placed in front of the infantry and launched at great speed against the enemy lines, with the aim of creating confusion. Unlike the elephants used by Pyrrhus, which were armed with smal
l towers containing picked archers, it seems that the Carthaginian elephants carried only a single rider. The stables built into the walls of Carthage were able to hold around three hundred elephants.\par