Like many serious historians of antiquity, I am intrigued by the enduring mystery of what happened to Hannibal's elephants after the triumphant beasts returned home to Carthage. Were they rewarded for their Alp-crossing heroics with peaceful and well-fed retirement on the Afrique plains of plenty? Or did they succumb to an elephantine form of shell-shock, flapping their enormous ears in nervous terror as sudden recollections of Scipio's artillery barrages exploded inside their noble skulls? Of course, since we know from ancient sources such as Juvenal and Strabo that Roman matrons employed an early type of parasol (umbraculum) to defend their delicate complexions from the harsh Italian sun, it is always possible that some unscrupulous Athenian merchant purchased the animals after the Punic wars so he could cut their feet off and thereby produce the first souvenir umbrella stands. After all, that is surely what would happen today.
Post a comment
Your Information
(Name and email address are required. Email address will not be displayed with the comment.)
I understand that currently the umbrella stand trade isn't what it used to be, in Greece.
Posted by: Laurent | May 20, 2010 at 05:22
Yes, they're all made out of Greek parliamentarian's feet these days, and so only hold one or two umbrellas.
Posted by: american fez | May 20, 2010 at 13:40