Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs: Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient WorldFlamethrowers, poison gases, incendiary bombs, the large-scale spreading of disease ... are these terrifying agents and implements of warfare modern inventions? Not by a long shot. Weapons of biological and chemical warfare have been in use for thousands of years, and Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs, Adrienne Mayor's fascinating exploration of the origins of biological and unethical warfare draws extraordinary connections between the mythical worlds of Hercules and the Trojan War, the accounts of Herodotus and Thucydides, and modern methods of war and terrorism. Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs will catapult readers into the dark and fascinating realm of ancient war and mythic treachery and their devastating consequences. |
Contents
HISTORICAL TIME LINE | 11 |
The Invention of Biological Weapons | 41 |
Alexander the Great and the Arrows of Doom | 63 |
Copyright | |
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aconite Aelian Aeneas the Tactician agents Alexander Alexander's ancient Greek animals antidotes antiquity Apollo archers army arrow poisons Arthashastra Asia Assyrian Athenian attack battle bees besiegers bio-weapons biochemical weapons biological and chemical biological warfare biological weapons bombs burning Carthaginian catapult century BC chapter chemical weapons combustible contagion created deadly death defense described destroyed Dio Cassius Diodorus of Sicily disease effects elephants enemy epidemics example Faraone FIGURE flames Frontinus Greece Greek Fire Hatra hellebore Hercules Herodotus historian honey human Hydra incendiaries India insects invention Iraq Islamic Kautilya killed King Kirrha legend Lucullus Majno Medea mice military Mithridates modern Museum mythic naphtha Odysseus Partington 1999 Peloponnesian Peloponnesian War Persians petroleum Philoctetes plague plant Pliny poison arrows poison weapons Polyaenus projectiles Psylli Quintus of Smyrna rodents scientists scorpions Scythian siege snake venom soldiers sting Strabo strategies sulphur temple toxic toxins Trojan Troy victims viper war elephants warriors wine wound