It’s a very small leap from Greek
fire to modern napalm. Similarly, there’s an ancient precedent for the white phosphorus bombs used during World War II: heated sand. When Alexander the Great besieged the Phoenician city of Tyre in 332 B.C., the defenders heated cauldrons of sand until it was red hot, then cat- apulted the sand onto the Macedo- nian army. “The sand went through the cracks in the soldiers’ armor and neck pieces and burned several inch- es into the body,” says Mayor. “That’s a chilling example of simple technol- ogy that had a horrendous result but also anticipates modern technology.” The Phoenicians were quick to
develop novel defenses against attack. When Alexander the Great built a large wooden causeway to the island city of Tyre, the citizens countered in an imaginative way: they filled an old trade ship with wood, burning pitch, and other combustibles; hung caul- drons of flammable oil from the masts; and sailed the vessel directly into the structure, setting it ablaze. The fast- moving fire engulfed the causeway as well as many of Alexander the Great’s siege towers and other weapons.
Antiquity’s evil genius If ancient superweapons have a god- father, it’s the Greek mathematician, physicist, and inventor Archimedes. A brilliant thinker, Archimedes also was a bit of an evil genius. According to some historical sources, he conceived a remarkable array of bizarre weap- ons, including a huge grappling crane that could snatch enemy ships out of the water. But his most ingenious weapon probably was the laser-like heat ray he knew could be created by focusing sunlight into a tight beam using an array of concave metal shields polished to a mirror finish.
60 MILITARY OFFICER MONTH 2005 APRIL 2011 PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK PHOTOS/IMAGES: TKTK
Warriors used catapults like this one in a Swiss village to hurl mis- siles at the enemy.
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