Pliny: Natural History, Vol. III

They are liable to extreme torture if in drinking they swallow a leech (the common name for which I notice has now begun to be ‘blood-sucker’); when this attaches itself in the actual breathing passage, it causes intolerable pain.

Their hide. The hide of the back is extremely hard, but that of the belly is soft. It has no covering of bristles, not even on the tail as a guard for driving away the annoyance of flies—for even that huge bulk is sensitive to this—but the skin is creased and is inviting to this kind of creature owing to its smell. Consequently, they stretch the creases open and let the swarms get in, and then crush them to death by suddenly contracting the creases into wrinkles. This serves them instead of a tail, mane, and fleece.

Ivory. The tusks fetch a vast price, and supply a very elegant material for images of the gods. Luxury has also discovered another thing that recommends the elephant: the flavour in the hard skin of the trunk, sought after, I believe, for no other reason than because the epicure feels that he is munching actual ivory. Exceptionally large specimens of tusks can indeed be seen in the temples, but nevertheless Polybius has recorded on the authority of the chieftain Gulusa that in the outlying parts of the province of Africa where it marches with Ethiopia, elephants’ tusks serve instead of doorposts in the houses, and partitions in these buildings and in stabling for cattle are made by using elephants’ tusks for poles.

Wild elephants, African and Indian. XI. Elephants are produced by Africa beyond the deserts of Sidra and by the country of the Moors; also by the land of Ethiopia and the Cave-dwellers, as has been said; but the biggest ones by India.