We think of chemical warfare as arising with World War I, but the earliest known instance of chemical warfare has been determined to have occurred in Syria in the third century. The Sasanian Empire, composed of Persians, fought the Romans, and archaeological evidence from the military city of Dura-Europos reveals their tactics. Dura-Europos was occupied by Roman forces at the time.
The Sasanians laid siege to the Roman fort, and were prepared for a long battle. They dug tunnels underneath the walls, hoping to bring them down. The Romans also dug tunnels, which became a battleground in themselves. In one tunnel, the remains of 20 bodies were found, 19 of them Roman. There were also bits of bitumen and sulphur among the artifacts. When these two chemicals are combined, they produce sulphur dioxide that choked the enemy from lack of oxygen. They must have had this scheme ready in the event that the Roman breached the Sasanian tunnels. Read what we know about this ancient battle at Heritage Daily. -via Strange Company
(Image credit: Heretiq)
