We may finally know how Hannibal got his elephants across the Alps

Scientists claim to have found the most likely route for Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps – with his elephants – according to a new study. Hannibal had to cross the Rhone River with his elephants before he reached the Alps - Credit: GettyTo investigate their hypothesis, Vollrath and Berti modelled the energy expenditure of Hannibal’s army across different routes. In the event, most of Hannibal’s elephants survived the crossing – more evidence, perhaps, supporting Vollrath and Berti’s argument. For Miles, the contention that the most logical path for Hannibal’s army was the shortest is "predicated on this idea that he’s got some sort of modern-like knowledge. With little archaeological evidence, all we do know is that Hannibal did eventually make his way to Italy.