ABSTRACT
I. Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 1 II. Chemical Warfare Agents in Ancient Times BCE ............................................................... 2 III. Chemical Warfare Agents in the CE to World War I .......................................................... 2 IV. Chemical Warfare Agents Used in World War I (1914-1918)............................................ 5 V. Chemical Warfare Agents between World War I and World War II................................. 10 VI. Chemical Warfare Agents in World War II........................................................................ 11 VII. Chemical Warfare Use After World War II ....................................................................... 13 VIII. Chemical Warfare Agents Used in Terrorism .................................................................... 16 IX. Conclusions ......................................................................................................................... 17
References ....................................................................................................................................... 17
Poisons and incendiary weapons first described in ancient myths included arrows dipped in serpent venom, water poisoned with drugs, plagues unleashed on armies, and secret formulas for combustible weapons. Exploiting lethal forces of nature was not just mythical fantasy, but was supported by numerous nonfiction authors in ancient times, to include Near Eastern records of 1770 BCE (before the Common Era), Greek myths recorded by Homer in about 750 BCE and Greek historians from 500 BCE through the second century of the Common Era (CE). From 500 BCE on, weapons of poison and combustible chemicals in China and Japan were described in military and medical treatises. The development of Greek fire and other incendiaries was described in Byzantine and Islamic sources of late antiquity from the seventh century through the fourteenth century CE. Archers in antiquity created toxic projectiles with snake venoms, poisonous plants, and bacteriological substances. Contamination of the enemy’s water and food supplies was also accomplished (Mayor, 2003).
