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I have a stupid question.

I am having a tough time finding the specific references to Elephants int he Pontic army, can someone point me in the right direction? I will even accept Secondary sources besides just primary ones.

I have seen them in many other wargame lists, and armies for Pontic armies; but I am having a hard time locating the sources.

Thanks in advance!

I cant recall any, are you looking for Mithridatic Wars?
Sources for Pontus;
Appian, Plutarch, Cicero and Memnon which covers war against the Seleucids until the defeat at the hands of Caesar.

Army at the time was a pretty typical Alexandrian Successor (replacing Silver Shields with bronze Shields), later against Roman we know that they used cataphract cavalry and scythed chariots and eventually adopted units equipped like Roman Legionaries. Have no memory at all of any elephants at any point and it seems like something that would be quiet cited if they did use them as Ancient sources loved their elephants even though they were mostly pointless...

Will check through printed sources when I can though.

Yes, Mithridatic Wars and before the End of the Republic.

That is what I am finding as well. A typical Hellenistic army had Elephants, but the Pontic army does not seem to. Curious.

I have seen several army lists that DO include them, but I am not finding the basis for that decision. That is why I am curious.....

I think they have been included by some because as a Successor period army they must have had elephants, right? I mean who didn't...

Did have a look at all the sources I have (primary and secondary) and the only mention I could find of elephants in conjunction with Pontus is the Seleucids using them against. Not even in their later war against Armenia did they seem to field them.

I would guess that as they didn't have viable trade with either India or Africa/Egypt they would have found it hard to get them. Also as they used chariots as line breakers it would have been somewhat too redundant to justify the expense of maintaining them.