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Greek Fire, Poison Arrows and Scorpion Bombs by Adrienne Mayor

Greek Fire, Poison Arrows and Scorpion Bombs

Adrienne Mayor

Overlook · Print & ebook · August 25, 2003

A History pick for readers exploring Greek Fire, Poison Arrows and Scorpion Bombs.

Chemical & Biological WarfareAncient GreeceWeapons Through Historyhistory
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ancientmilitary
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Who it’s for
A brisk, unsettling look at ancient weapons and the people who used them.
Genres
Chemical & Biological Warfare, Ancient Greece, Weapons Through History
Published
Overlook, August 25, 2003

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About this book

Weapons of biological and chemical warfare have been in use for thousands of years, and Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs, Adrienne Mayor's exploration of the origins of controversial weaponry, 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.

Continue reading

Drawing on sources ancient and modern, Mayor describes ancient recipes for arrow poisons, booby traps rigged with plague, petroleum-based combustibles, choking gases, and the deployment of dangerous animals and venomous snakes and insects. She also explores the ambiguous moral implications inherent in this kind of warfare: Are these nefarious forms of weaponry ingenious or cowardly? Admirable or reprehensible?

Ancient Weapons

A brisk, unsettling look at ancient weapons and the people who used them.

Come here for

  • Greek Fire, poison arrows, scorpion bombs
  • Ancient warfare with a grimly inventive edge

Expect

  • Cultural-literacy payoff
  • Narrative history with a sharp, practical bent

Where it sits

Chemical & Biological Warfare97%
Weapons Through History33%
Ancient Greece27%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Ancient Greece
  • Military History
Authors
Adrienne Mayor
Publisher
Overlook
Published
August 25, 2003
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
Ancient Greece