Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, & Scorpion Bombs

By: Adrienne Mayor

Narrated by: Suzanne Toren

Flamethrowers, poison gases, incendiary bombs, the large-scale spreading of disease...are these terrifying agents and implements of warfare modern inventions? Not by a long shot.

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

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2008 Adrienne Mayor (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Illuminating... Adrienne Mayor marshals not just myth, but also the writing of ancient authors and evidence from archaeological digs to show that biological and chemical weapons saw action inbattles long before the modern era." ( The New York Times)

Awesome

I have been bragging about this book to everyone. Excellent. Superb entertainment, plus its all true. The Scythian arrow poison sounded revolting and frightening. You will learn of vipers, water witches, neuro-toxin honey- there is no weakness in this book. Every single word feels vital. You get no filler, no slow spots, no long editorials. Every chapter is fascinating and enlightening. Flaming pigs! War elephants. Its the ultimate brainy MAN book, but I think anyone would enjoy it. A great war history, that may even appeal to those who don't normally like non-fiction. The narration is good. Lively and far from the monotone you often get in "heady" books.

Great book for those o like history

If you like me enjoys history, this is a great book, he talk about some things about chemical warfare in ancient times that i never hear in other books. So go for it

Entertainment at it's finest

loved using this amazing app easy to enjoy and makes it easier to get into books.

Poisoned Arrows

What made the experience of listening to Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, & Scorpion Bombs the most enjoyable?

The book was fantastic as it was full of actual and mythological history in relationship to lethal weapons.It was fascinating to learn that Greece was one of the areas where the concept of lethal weaponry was first instilled into the imagination of its people through fable and myth, and how armies and individuals grasps these deadly ideas in order to deploy their enemies. The book explained in explicit detail the dreadful physical responses, often fatal to lethal weapons created throughout history.

What other book might you compare Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, & Scorpion Bombs to and why?

This is my first experience.

What about Suzanne Toren’s performance did you like?

She was wonderful

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Any additional comments?

This book is also very interesting from a medical point of view.

interesting detailed and historically backed

great details and description, provides background info for each topic and covers a wide range all without the book becoming overly long as I find alot of historical books tend to. narrator has a decent voice as well