Interesting...(saw this in WikiPedia)

"War pigs, also known as incendiary pigs, are those pigs speculated to have been used at most rarely in ancient warfare as a countermeasure to war elephants. The pigs were allegedly covered with tar, pitch, olive oil, or other flammable materials, set on fire, and driven towards enemy war elephants, with the intention that the elephants, terrified by the piercing squeals and oncoming flames, would flee in panic through the lines of their drivers' own army. Obviously, a burning pig is difficult to command and thus easily could quickly turn into a loose cannon and cause harm to friendly soldiers in addition to this. However, the hope of stopping war elephants made this a tactic used in war.

Pliny the Elder reported that "elephants are scared by the smallest squeal of a pig" and that they were used as such by the Romans against Pyrrhus's army (VIII, 1.27). A siege of Megara during the Wars of the Diadochi was reportedly broken when the Megarians poured oil on a herd of pigs, set them alight, and drove them towards the enemy's massed war elephants. The elephants bolted in terror from the flaming squealing pigs often killing great numbers of the army the elephant was part of (Aelian, de Natura Animalium book XVI, ch. 36). A possible reason for a lack of elephants in ancient warfare could be due to this as pigs were cheap, easy to get, and supposedly effective."

hahahahaha, they are prity loud when the start squeiling.
i think i would rather take on a flaiming pig than a spooked elephant.
greg

That has got to be one of the most bizare things I have read! Thank you for sharing this with us! I'm with greghud -- I'd rather face a flaming pig than a bunch of spooked elephants!

Hey, I don't know anything about flaming pigs, but I do have a Corso.

that would work great against muslims.

Lateral thinking in action.

funny,
I had always wondered where BBQ started

Cane Corso thank you for posting again very interesting as ever.juan

My question is:....Just how well cooked are these things when they finally die? Could make for a fine mid-battle meal. You know, after you been slaying folks with the old broad sword all morning a good piece of ham might hit the spot.

Ah yes, a shot of protein in mid-battle! LOL!

If they had only fitted those electronic cat training collars on the pigs perhaps they could have herded them toward the enemy elephants like porcine TOW missiles more efficiently in the smoke of barbecue, er, ah, fog of war. A bit of Teriyaki mixed with the burning oil would have been a nice touch also at the mid-battle lunch break.

I wonder if old Ozzy knew about the supposed origin...

War Pigs

Generals gathered in their masses
Just like witches at black masses
Evil minds that plot destruction
Sorcerers of deaths construction
In the fields the bodies burning
As the war machine keeps turning
Death and hatred to mankind
Poisoning their brainwashed minds, oh lord yeah!

Black Sabbath

Jeffe asks an interesting question.

Essayist Charles Lamb has the answer:"A Dissertation on Roast Pig".

flaco

Gari, thank you for the flashback!!

Excellent reads CaneCorso and flaco.