Cavalry in Rome

[Namm]

Smaller, yes, but not small, and it isn't impossible to tame the Savanna Elephant. I've seen tamed Savanna Elephants on TV. I think the Carthaginians used a few of them too. Anyway, it took great skill to effectively use elephants and it required a "culture" of elephant taming. India had this with their mahouts, estensive non-military use of elephants etc. My point is that North Africa could have had this.

 

[unmerged(15623)]

Has there ever even been a savannah/bush elephant population north of Sahara?

In any case, all I have the say is; Royal Swedish Moose Cavalry! It's great in forests, I promise.

 

[Jolt]

Has there ever even been a savannah/bush elephant population north of Sahara?

In any case, all I have the say is; Royal Swedish Moose Cavalry! It's great in forests, I promise.

It is said (Though it's not proven) that one of the elephants Hannibal led through the Alps was a Bush Elephant.

Also, Moose Cavalry has no chance against...

Well, cavalry were, if used in suficient numbers, able to crush infantry at ease, and I don't see why this can't be done early on. The problem was affording and maintaining a large cavalry army for non-nomad nations/tribes. That should be the problem posed to the player, and not nerfing cavalry early on.

 

[unmerged(15623)]

It is said (Though it's not proven) that one of the elephants Hannibal led through the Alps was a Bush Elephant.

Hmm, I was just flipping through Wiki on this subject and according to it's north Arican elephant subject, the one elephant bigger than the others was most likely of the Indian variety.

Which seems a more reasonable explanation, a rich trading nation like Carthage would had means to get those animals too. Pyrrhus certainly had Indian elephants.

 

[Jolt]

Imo (And just an opinion), since Necho's Canal had been opened for quite some centuries, adding the fact that Egypt had traded for millenia with Puntland (Somalia) and Ethiopia, it would make at least as much sense to buy some of those from Egypt, considering the Ptolomaics had a relatively close trade relations with Carthage.