Ancient Persians 'used chemical warfare'

[Adsos Letter]

Rossella Lorenzi
Discovery News



Solitary death: The body of one of the Persian attackers lay in the mine, still clad in his iron mail shirt, his helmet and sword near his feet. (Source: Yale University Art Gallery, Dura-Europos Excavation Archive )

A cramped tunnel beneath a Middle Eastern fort might have produced the oldest evidence of chemical warfare, according to a CSI-style review of archival records.

Presented at the recent meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America, the review focused on the dramatic remains of 20 Roman soldiers unearthed in the 1930s in the city of Dura-Europos, Syria.

Sitting on a cliff overlooking the Euphrates River, the Roman fort at Dura was the site of a violent siege by the powerful Persian Empire around 256 AD.

No historical record of the battle exists, but archaeological remains have helped piece together the action.

The Persians used a range of siege techniques to enter the city. These included laying mines in tunnels underneath the walls to breach them. Intending to hold their ground at all costs, Roman defenders responded with counter-mines.

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2009/02/02/2479842.htm?site=science&topic=ancient

[MADem]

1. Fascinating!!! nt

[aquart]

2. Impressive.