"Yet elephant history has been dominated by periods of brutality and persecution. African elephants were used in ancient times to fight in wars. The Romans threw them into gladiatorial games. But, above all, it was the demand for their ivory, prized for centuries as a badge of wealth and status and used in modern times to manufacture piano keys and billiard balls, that has made Africa's elephants one of the most vulnerable animals on earth. In the late twentieth century, the onslaught was so severe that the African elephant was placed on the list of endangered species."--BOOK JACKET.