A new study on Hannibal’s alpine crossing suggests the Carthaginian general may have chosen the shortest and least exhausting route through the Alps because of the huge energy needs of his soldiers, horses and war elephants.
The research, led by Emilio Berti, adds a biological angle to a debate that has lasted for centuries. Scholars have long debated the exact route Hannibal Barca took in 218 B.C. during the Second Punic War. The crossing became one of the most famous military feats in ancient history.
Hannibal marched from Spain toward Italy with about 46,000 men and 37 war elephants. Ancient accounts say his army crossed the Alps in 15 days after a long and difficult campaign across southern Europe.
For years, researchers have studied ancient texts, geography and geology to identify the route. Berti’s study looks at a different question. It asks how much energy the army and animals needed to survive the journey.
Elephants changed the challenge
The study focused on the direct energy costs of the crossing. Researchers calculated how much energy men, horses and elephants would have used on different Alpine routes.
That question matters because Hannibal’s elephants were not symbolic animals alone. They were large military assets. Each adult elephant weighed about three tons. Such animals needed huge amounts of food to maintain their strength.
In the wild, African elephants spend much of the day feeding. The study notes that they may forage for about 14 hours a day on flat land just to maintain body weight. Mountain travel would have added even greater strain.
For Hannibal, this created a serious logistical problem. His army had limited supply lines. It faced rough terrain, bad weather, and attacks from hostile groups. Only about half of his soldiers survived the Alpine march.
Traversette route used the least energy
The study compared several possible routes through the Alps. Researchers found that the Col de la Traversette route required the least total energy for the army.
That path would have cost the army about 5.42 trillion joules of energy. Other routes required more. The Col de Montgenèvre route needed about 11% more energy. The Col du Clapier route needed about 16% more. The Col du Mont Cenis route needed about 19% more.
Hannibal’s legendary Alpine route may have a new clue: his elephants.
A study led by Emilio Berti suggests energy costs for soldiers, horses and war elephants point to the Col de la Traversette as the most likely path across the Alps in 218 B.C. pic.twitter.com/1p7xjE5ZXY
— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) July 7, 2026
The findings suggest Hannibal may have favored the Traversette route because it reduced the strain on his men and animals. He would not have known the exact numbers. But researchers say he may have understood which route was shorter and less costly from experience.
The study also translated energy needs into food demands. If the army had relied mainly on carbohydrates, the Traversette route would have required more than 232 tons of supplies for the men alone. The longer routes would have required many more tons.
Food needs became severe
Feeding the elephants was an even harder problem. A three-ton elephant could consume about 200 kilograms of forage a day in the wild, or about 75 kilograms of feed in captivity, to meet basic needs.
The study found that each elephant would have needed several extra hours of feeding each day to replace the energy lost during the crossing. That was unlikely during a fast military march through the Alps.
Researchers therefore suggest the elephants likely relied on stored body fat. On the Traversette route, each elephant may have lost about 4% of its body fat reserves. Horses may have lost about 11%. Men may have lost about 19%.
That difference is important. Elephants had large fat reserves and may have been better able to endure the crossing than many soldiers. But keeping them alive after arrival in Italy would have required time, food, and care.
War elephants still had value
The study helps explain why Hannibal took elephants across the Alps despite the risks. They may have offered a tactical advantage in early battles against Rome. They also may have impressed Celtic groups in northern Italy, some of whom opposed Roman power.
Ancient evidence suggests around 30 elephants later fought at the Battle of the Trebia. But most did not survive the following winter. Only Hannibal’s personal elephant, Surus, is said to have lived.
Researchers say the deaths may show how costly the elephants became after the crossing. Once Hannibal was isolated in enemy territory, feeding and maintaining them may have been too difficult.
Hannibal continued his campaign in Italy for years and defeated Roman forces in several major battles. But he never forced Rome to surrender. His daring Alpine crossing remains one of the most debated episodes of ancient warfare.
Berti’s study suggests the answer may lie not only in maps and ancient texts, but also in hunger, fatigue and the limits of living bodies.
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