Poisoned weapons in antiquity

The heading of this Discovery News article is a bit sensationalistic, but the underlying material is quite interesting enough without reference to modern agents of mass killing. The article is essentially a summary of a new book, Adrienne Mayor's Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs: Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World. Much of the literary material in the book will likely be familiar to classicists, but the archeological evidence might well be less so. The interpretation of several passages in Homer also seems novel, where the use of poison on the battlefield is not explicitly noted but may be referred to indirectly.

Posted by David on September 25, 2003 2:24 PM