Roman soldiers at Dura Europos in Syria were killed by chemical warfare when Persian forces set sulfur and bitumen ablaze inside tunnels, turning the air to poison. Nineteen bodies were found stacked 3-4 high blocking the tunnel entrance. French archaeologists discovered them in the 1930s but assumed they died in combat. It took until 2009 for archaeologist Simon James to confirm these men as the earliest documented chemical warfare casualties in history. The site remained untouched for 1,700 years.
Roman Soldiers at Dura Europos Identified as Earliest Chemical Warfare Victims
SyriaExcavation
Key facts
- 20 Roman soldiers killed by chemical weapon in tunnel warfare
- Persian forces used sulfur and bitumen set on fire, turning tunnel air into poison
- Bodies found stacked 3-4 high blocking tunnel entrance
- French archaeologist discovered bodies in 1930s, assumed combat deaths
- Archaeologist Simon James confirmed in 2009 these are earliest chemical warfare victims
- Site remained untouched for 1700 years after Dura Europos fell
Site mentioned
Sources
Earliest Chemical Warfare - Dura-Europos, Syriaarchive.archaeology.org
In a narrow tunnel under the fortress-city of Dura (now Dura-Europos) in the eastern Syrian desert, 20 Roman soldiers met their fate defending the city from the
One of the First Known Chemical Attacks Took Place 1,700 Years ...smithsonianmag.com
In approximately 256 C.E. Dura-Europas, a Roman fort known as “the Pompeii of the Syrian Desert,” fell victim to a Sasanian Persian siege in ...
Stratagems, Combat, and “Chemical Warfare” in the Siege Mines of ...journals.uchicago.edu
The Sasanian Persian siege that destroyed Roman-held Dura-Europos, Syria, ca. 256 C.E. left some of the best evidence ever recovered for the nature and ...
Death in the dark at Dura-Europos: Did the Sassanids use chemical ...academia.edu
A recent theory has suggested a further distinction for Dura-Europos, as the site of the first recorded use of chemical warfare. But can the evidence support ...
Stratagems, Combat, and “Chemical Warfare” in the Siege Mines of ...ajaonline.org
The Sasanian Persian siege that destroyed Roman-held Dura-Europos, Syria, ca. 256 CE left some of the best evidence ever recovered for the nature and practices ...
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