Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs: Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient WorldThis study traces biological and chemical warfare to its ancient roots and Mayor's findings are as riveting in their gruesomeness as they are surprising in their historical precedence. Drawing on a wide array of sources, both ancient and modern, Mayor recounts ancient recipes for concocting arrow poisons; she describes booby traps rigged with plague; toxic honey, poisoned wells, and spiked wine; petroleum-based combustibles, choking gases, and incendiary bombs; and the deployment of dangerous animals and venomous insects. The author also explores the ambiguous moral implications inherent in this kind of warfare: if intelligence and cunning are to be valued, as well as physical courage on the battlefield, then are these nefarious forms of warfare ingenious or cowardly? |
Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | 9 |
War Outside the Rules | 23 |
The Invention of Biological Weapons | 41 |
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 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 and Roman Greek Fire Hatra hellebore Hercules Herodotus historian honey Hydra incendiaries India insects invention Iraq Islamic Kautilya killed King Kirrha legend Lucullus Majno Medea mice military Mithridates modern Museum myth 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 stinging Strabo strategies sulphur temple toxic toxins Trojan Troy victims viper war elephants warriors wine wound