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'Scientists may be closer to revealing the route taken by Hannibal as he crossed to Alps to attack ancient Rome.

A team says they have found a churned up layer of soil at an Alpine pass near the French-Italian border that dates to the time of Hannibal's invasion.

In Archaeometry journal, they say the disturbed sediment was rich in microbes that are common in horse manure.'

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35969107

ORIGINAL: Zorch

'Scientists may be closer to revealing the route taken by Hannibal as he crossed to Alps to attack ancient Rome.

A team says they have found a churned up layer of soil at an Alpine pass near the French-Italian border that dates to the time of Hannibal's invasion.

In Archaeometry journal, they say the disturbed sediment was rich in microbes that are common in horse manure.'

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35969107

warspite1

That's a funny looking horse....

Ken, interesting stuff! Thanks for posting! [:)]

It would be nice to establish which pass Hannibal used. This dung was found on the Col de Traversette pass; other possibilities are the Little St Bernard Pass, Col de Montgenèvre, and Col de Mont Cenis.

The Baldrick School of Archeology

Thank you for sharing. [:)]

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Zorch

'Scientists may be closer to revealing the route taken by Hannibal as he crossed to Alps to attack ancient Rome.

A team says they have found a churned up layer of soil at an Alpine pass near the French-Italian border that dates to the time of Hannibal's invasion.

In Archaeometry journal, they say the disturbed sediment was rich in microbes that are common in horse manure.'

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35969107

warspite1

That's a funny looking horse....

That's funny looking, what ever it is.

It would be interesting if they found a footprint in the dung as well. It would indicate that in those days, some weren't watching where they stepped.

ORIGINAL: CGGrognard

It would be interesting if they found a footprint in the dung as well. It would indicate that in those days, some weren't watching where they stepped.

[:D]
Reminds me of the joke, 'What's brown and sounds like a bell?'.

ORIGINAL: waltero

ORIGINAL: warspite1

ORIGINAL: Zorch

'Scientists may be closer to revealing the route taken by Hannibal as he crossed to Alps to attack ancient Rome.

A team says they have found a churned up layer of soil at an Alpine pass near the French-Italian border that dates to the time of Hannibal's invasion.

In Archaeometry journal, they say the disturbed sediment was rich in microbes that are common in horse manure.'

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35969107

warspite1

That's a funny looking horse....

That's funny looking, what ever it is.

Depicts a constipated elephant making an effort to leave the ever elusive dung pile.

Sounds like a bunch of Bull (make that Elephant) shit to me.

ORIGINAL: Yogi the Great

Sounds like a bunch of Bull (make that Elephant) shit to me.

Wow picky sensor was sh**

I'll question; what's brown and smells like a bell?

So horses from that era could of never used that pass for any other reason [&:]

Sounds odd to find some carbon dated horse dung and declare it belonging to Hannibal's army.
There are only a handful of routes through the Alps. Could not any number of other possibilities exist as why horse dung would be there?
Were those not trading routes as well?
To haul good around in that era you needed horses.

ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager

So horses from that era could of never used that pass for any other reason [&:]

Sounds odd to find some carbon dated horse dung and declare it belonging to Hannibal's army.
There are only a handful of routes through the Alps. Could not any number of other possibilities exist as why horse dung would be there?
Were those not trading routes as well?
To haul good around in that era you needed horses.

Also there are only certain routes they could have taken and historians already know the trade routes. So what is the big reveal here? Now if the found spear heads sword blades that would be more significant than Elephant dung.

ORIGINAL: CGGrognard

I'll question; what's brown and smells like a bell?

Dung!

ORIGINAL: Fallschirmjager

So horses from that era could of never used that pass for any other reason [&:]

Sounds odd to find some carbon dated horse dung and declare it belonging to Hannibal's army.
There are only a handful of routes through the Alps. Could not any number of other possibilities exist as why horse dung would be there?
Were those not trading routes as well?
To haul good around in that era you needed horses.

I am with you here! Now if they found it to be "Elephant Dung" then we would have something???

ORIGINAL: radic202
I am with you here! Now if they found it to be "Elephant Dung" then we would have something???

No one on earth can say a conclusive "yes" but If they found elephant excrement then yes, they could say they found the pass used by Hannibal - Saint Bernard according to Napoleon.

1) The elephants brought by Hannibal were conclusively the first ones seen in the Alps (and the last ones, see below).

2) we know from Roman sources that the Carthaginians were forced to deliver war elephants after their defeat in the second Punic War. Needless to say, the Romans were not mad enough to make them cross the Alps [:D] In fact, they ended up being disappointed with these war elephants, of little military use.

I suspect that the amount of horse dung dropped around the same time would show the difference of dung from an army from traders.

Since Hasdrubal's army allegedly took the same route as Hannibal did, and I am not aware of any other armies doing a crossing around that time, I suspect that if they get a time stamp of the dung then that would settle it.

I am sorry but the more I read this story the more I think its just a load of crap.









Sorry. Someone had to say it...