Stinking Persians!!!

Or...Romans at Dura-Europas Killed By Chemical Weapons?

A cramped tunnel beneath a Middle Eastern fort might have produced the oldest evidence of chemical warfare, according to a CSI-style review of archival records.

Presented at the recent meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America, the review focused on the dramatic remains of 20 Roman soldiers unearthed in the 1930s in the city of Dura-Europos, Syria.

Sitting on a cliff overlooking the Euphrates River, the Roman fort at Dura was the site of a violent siege by the powerful Persian Empire around 256 A.D.

No historical record of the battle exists, but archaeological remains have helped piece together the action.

I think I am going to need to see a few more bits of evidence (or just the paper), but if its true, that's quite impressive. The Later Romans had Greek Fire, so its very possible that the Persians had their own weapons of nastiness.