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Gallery: at War with the

Suicide Mission Elazar, Judah’s brother, attacks the lead of the Greek general. “And he crept under the elephant, and thrust in his spear from beneath and slew it.” (I Maccabees 6:48) (Gustav Dore, 19th Century France) Elephants on the March Greek war elephants with their armor served as the tanks of the Hellenist period.

The Maccabees Face Off with the Elephants The Greek war elephants of General Nicanor are massed for a against the Maccabees, while Judah the Maccabee rallies his troops. “So they cried unto the Lord with their voices, and they attacked the foe with their hands” (II Maccabees 15:34). (Gustav Dore, 19th Century France)

108 The Greeks attack Judah the Maccabee at Beit Zur (illustrated German Bible 15th Century)

A Hellenist silver plate of a war elephant.

ELEPHANTS’ GALLERY 109 The Technology of Greek Warfare

Macedonian soldiers in circular formation with long lances

110 A Greek This military formation, made up of 256 soldiers in sixteen rows of sixteen soldiers each, marched as a unit into . While the smallest unit of battle was the phalanx of 256, the largest unit was the “phalangaria” composed of 256 rows totaling 4,096 soldiers. In large , ten such units were used totaling forty thousand soldiers and spreading out over two miles. The very sound of these marching troops terrified their enemies. “The Maccabean soldiers trembled at the sound of the invading Greek soldiers whose armor clanged and whose feet made the sound of thunder” (Maccabees I 6:41). However, these large formations of mercenary soldiers and their war elephants found it difficult to maneuver in the mountainous terrain around when engaged by small guerilla bands. The British encountered the same difficulty in the American Revolutionary war.

A Greek soldier from the phalanx.

Armored Elephants in ’s attack on the (217 BCE)

ELEPHANTS’ GALLERY 111 The Visionary Menorah by Joseph Hatzarfati The High Priest rekindles the Temple menorah according to vision of the prophet Zechariah read on Shabbat Hanukkah. (Cervera Bible, Spain, 1300)

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