1- Why do you think North American Indians wouldn't have evolved too?
2- And even though the buffalo thing was a joke, elephants weren't that great in war. They were just as likely to do damage to their own side and very limited geographically. They looked cool as shit, but they didn't win wars.
1- To sum it up because they (and other cultures) shaped theyr culture as a cycle rather than an evolution.
The biggest reason of this is theyr approach with the habitat, "cycle" type of cultures tend to adapt themselves to the place... and as nature does'nt change, they don't need to
Make a jump of 500 years and you will find them having similar lifestyle before and after
In NA natives case is even more "strange" as usually these type of cultures have the "excuse" to live in extreme harsh conditions be it climate, habitat, water etc
While NA have areas with great europe-like climate, food resources and water... the habitat did'nt hold back them much, it has been cultural
Cultures more on the "evolution" type instead to adapt themselves to nature, adapt nature to themselves, wich is the essential push for urbanization, specially when the the number of habitants start to impose the need of organized big resources rather than what nature offer by default
In comparision watch Aztecs shaping theyr world with cities, large buildings, fortifications, roads, advanced agricolture, water gardens/floating islands, they even got a begin of livestocks.
Theyr militar industry was primitive, but still started to develop ideas parallel to old continent and they was mostly hold back by the lack of metallurgy
They was more primitive than Rome centuries after the fall of roman empire, but still you can see there the signs of evolution push
Probably if they was'nt wiped out by spaniards (by steel or disease) and even more if managed to deal an alliance becoming a true Spain's vassal in the new continent they could have grown very powerful with the bunch of new stuff... theyr society was already set on evolution, new stuff will have gave them an huge push
In comparision see north american natives that after a less apocalyptic first clash, just what they liked taking rifles and horses but that's it
The contact with europeans did'nt caused much evolution in them because theyr culture was a cycle type
2- Well war elephants had theyr rise and fall like most militar units through history.
The west (romans) developed tricks to easy deal with them, like opening "corridor" in the formation or turn them crazy on theyr own army with tricks (the pig-on-fire LOL), but overall they got theyr arc
And they havev been involved 3 continents, not so limited geographically after all
