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Scientists may have unlocked one of the great mysteries of
the ancient world by analyzing microbes from horse manure to discover where
Hannibal and his army crossed the Alps.
The Carthaginian general famously led an army of 30,000 men, 37
elephants and more than 15,000 horses and mules to invade Italy. This brazen trip across the Alps happened
during the second Punic War, which lasted from 218 B.C. to 201 B.C.
Hannibal's exact route across the Alps has been debated by
historians. An international team of
scientists have found evidence from the remote Col de Traversette pass on the
border between Fance and Italy. By using
radiocarbon dating, microbial metagenome analysis, environmental chemistry and
pollen analysis, the scientists have shown that a "mass animal deposition"
event occurred near the Col de Traversette in 218 B.C.
A little tidbit that I learned was that when horses drink,
they have to defecate. Scientist studied
3 feet of sediment beneath a large pond for the horse manure. More than 70 percent of the microbes in horse
manure are from a group of bacteria called Clostridia that can survive in soil
for thousands of years. Scientists found
a remarkable increase in the abundance of the bacteria in the sediment,
suggesting that Hannibal's army crossed the Alps at that specific point. Normally these bacteria are at quite low
levels within the soil, but in this case, the scientist found very high
levels. The scientists also noticed an
increase in the number of bile salts that come from the gut as well as a sharp
change in the sediments pollen record.
This pollen showed them that there is a significant change in the
deposition characteristics suggesting that Hannibal crossed there. Hannibal also tried crossing using elephants
but scientists are not sure how much the elephants have contributed to the
evidence. Besides of a historical aspect
to this, these findings may even help our understanding of modern bacteria. Scientists don't know much about bacteria
from 2,000 years ago so scientists can learn how they've changed over 2,000
years and could help with medical discoveries.
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Re: Ancient dung may unlock Punic War mystery
