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SFReader Forums > The Real World > Non-Fiction Books > Greek Fire, Poison Arrows and Scorpion Bombs

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cussedness
Adept

Date Joined Apr 2005
Total Posts : 786

Posted 3/21/2007 3:22 PM (GMT -4)

Greek Fire, Poison Arrows and Scorpion Bombs: biological and chemical warfare in the Ancient World by Adrienne Mayor is a real eye-opener about those aspects of warfare you rarely see in fiction.

Janrae Frank
I have no skeletons in my closet, they are all hanging from the yardarm.

Once there were three brothers, Brandrahoon the vampire, Isranon called the Dawnhand, speaker to spirits, and Waejonan the Accursed, first of sa’necari. Isranon defied his brothers and was destroyed, his descendants forced into the darkness.

Blood Rites
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Bill Ward
Biblioholic

Date Joined Jul 2006
Total Posts : 1572

Posted 3/21/2007 6:19 PM (GMT -4)

That sounds pretty good!

Chaos, Perpetual
Acolyte

Date Joined Dec 2006
Total Posts : 255

Posted 3/21/2007 7:36 PM (GMT -4)

I agree. This sounds very interesting. I'm still working on my copy of Weapon: A Visual History of Arms and Armor(along with about three other things), but I can never seem to absorb too much historical weaponry literature.

von Darkmoor
Dancer

Date Joined Dec 2005
Total Posts : 2864

Posted 3/21/2007 7:45 PM (GMT -4)

That sounds awesome, Janrae! Thanks for posting this one.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jason

Ever waltz with the Devil? Or devil with a Waltz? Visit www.vondarkmoor.blogspot.com to find out.

cussedness
Adept

Date Joined Apr 2005
Total Posts : 786

Posted 3/21/2007 7:54 PM (GMT -4)

It is the best book I've found in a long time.

Charles Gramlich
Acolyte

Date Joined Aug 2007
Total Posts : 233

Posted 12/23/2007 2:17 PM (GMT -4)

This will be helpful since I'm working on a story line now that involves Greek Fire.

Charles Gramlich

http://charlesgramlich.blogspot.com/

Dragon Angel
Lord Dragon

Date Joined Sep 2004
Total Posts : 1061

Posted 12/23/2007 11:09 PM (GMT -4)

I seem to recall that they aren't actually sure what Greek fire was, because it was a carefully guarded secret that was lost. Is trhat what the book says too?

read free fiction and poetry at http://www.geocities.com/davidolson22/index.html

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cussedness
Adept

Date Joined Apr 2005
Total Posts : 786

Posted 12/25/2007 4:01 PM (GMT -4)

The book makes some of the usual educated guesses about it. I'm partial to the ways they used the Greek aqueduct system against itself. Water was moved from rivers into cities by way of a system of buried canals. The openings were usually hidden. When discovered, one group filled the pipes (i use the term loosely) with rhododendron and knocked out the city.

The Griot
Stablehand

Date Joined Apr 2008
Total Posts : 12

Posted 4/17/2008 11:12 PM (GMT -4)

I'll have to get this one. I do know that poison arrows were a common part of warfare in West Africa. I use them in my battle scenes based on pre-colonial West African armies. The quilted armor worn by West African soldiers was designed as a defense against poison arrows. Some warriors went so far as to have a front tooth removed so they could be administered antidotes. The effectiveness of the poison varied depending on the knowledge of the medicine priest concocting it.

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