217 BC — The Battle of Raphia

On June 22, 217 BC, the largest battle of the Hellenistic age raged near Gaza: the Battle of Raphia, the only major Hellenistic battle fought on African soil. Ptolemy IV of Egypt fielded seventy thousand troops, including native Egyptian phalanx and African war elephants, against Antiochus III the Great's Seleucid army.

Ptolemy's forces crushed the Seleucids, securing Egypt's hold on the Levant. The scale alone sets Raphia apart, but so does its setting. Great empires of the age settled a contest for territory on African ground, with Egyptian soldiers and African elephants at the heart of the fighting that decided the day.