I assumed he was talking about Ballista Elephants and Catapults... Both needing construction and available earlier than Macemen.
Yes, War (Ballista) Elephants and catapults.
They can be a formidable force and if bee-lined are available early enough to be viable for a long time - even in the age of Longbows.
Also, with stables you can have 2 promo Elephants right out of the gate.
As I was saying though, the techs required are a fair way off our desired tech path for the game we've been planning.