Greek Fire, Poison Arrows and Scorpion Bombs: Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World

by Adrienne Mayor (Author)

• Used

  Hardcover
  2003

  $3.29

  This 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?