Biophysicists from Europe and Africa have concluded that the army of the Carthaginian commander Hannibal crossed the Alps via the high mountain pass "Col de la Travers".
pass , as many historians had previously assumed. Analysis showed that this route would have allowed elephants, horses, and soldiers to consume 16% less energy while crossing it. This was announced by the Oxford University Press Service.
Researcher Emilio Berti from the University of Jena in Germany said in a statement carried by Oxford University Press: "The question of the exact place where Hannibal crossed the Alps has been a subject of debate among historians for decades. Our analysis provides new evidence suggesting that the Carthaginians took the Col de la Travers pass, as it was the most convenient option for supplying such a large army, which also included elephants."
Historians have long been interested in the course of Carthage's campaign against the Roman Republic, and in the route taken by Hannibal's army to cross the Alps. However, the writings of ancient historians, including those of Polybius , did not provide a definitive answer on this matter, making several passes in the Cottian Alps candidates for the route taken by the Carthaginian army, including the Col de la Travers, the Col de Clapierre, and the Col de Montgenèvre, among others.
Scientists pointed out that many of these hypotheses were previously based on linguistic or geological considerations, without taking into account the amount of energy that humans and animals would have had to expend to cross these high mountain passes.
To overcome this deficit, biophysicists performed calculations to estimate the amount of calories that soldiers, horses, and elephants would have consumed while crossing four of the most commonly proposed routes.
The calculations showed that the most energy-efficient route was the shortest and most complex through the Col de la Travers pass , while the other routes required additional energy; crossing through the Col de Montgenèvre required about 11% more, through the Col de Clapierre 16%, and through the Col de Mont Seigne 19%.
The researchers believe that these results weaken the common hypothesis that Hannibal crossed the Alps via the Col de Clapierre pass.
Scientists noted that even when following the most efficient route, the Carthaginian soldiers lost about 19% of their fat reserves, which may explain the heavy losses the army suffered during the journey. In contrast, the elephants lost only about 4% of their energy reserves, which helped most of them reach Roman territory.
The Carthaginian commander Hannibal Barca led an invasion of Italy in 218 BC during the Second Punic War, at the head of an army that included tens of thousands of infantry and cavalry, in addition to a number of war elephants.
After leaving the coasts of present-day Spain in late spring, his army traveled about a thousand kilometers on its way to ancient ome, crossing the Alps in
