The Origins of Biological and Chemical Warfare
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The Origins of Biological and Chemical Warfare
Summary
The use of chemical and biological weapons dates back well before the 20th century.Article
The history of chemical and biological warfare stretches far back into antiquity. For instance, in the 6th century BC, Solon utilized the purgative herb hellebore to aid in the siege of Krissa. Around the same time, the Assyrians poisoned enemy wells with rye ergot.
During the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC), the Spartans launched sulfur and pitch at the Athenians. In the Middle Ages, attackers used the bodies of plague victims, creating early forms of "dirty bombs."
In 1346, the Tartar army besieging Kaffa (now Feodosia, Crimea) succumbed to the Plague. They catapulted infected corpses over city walls, leading to an epidemic and eventual surrender. This incident likely contributed to the spread of the Black Death, which decimated a third of Europe's population. The same tactic was used by Russian troops against Sweden in 1710.
Smallpox also played a significant role in biological warfare. Francisco Pizarro knowingly gave the South American natives clothing contaminated with the variola virus. Similarly, during the French and Indian Wars (1689-1763), smallpox-infected blankets were distributed to American Indians. General Jeffery Amherst even provided smallpox-contaminated bedspreads to tribes allied with the French during the 1754-1767 conflict. This led to an epidemic among Native American defenders at Fort Carillon, resulting in an English victory.
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