Gaius Decius Aquilius
01-11-2011, 10:09 PM
In the current issue of American Journal of Archaeology, January, 2011--
Simon James: Stratagems, Combat, and “Chemical Warfare” in Siege Mines of Dura –Europos
In summary, James reviews the original excavation of Robert du Mesnil and his notes and hand drawn maps, and make a few different interpretations. In short, these are some points of interest:
1. The Roman counter-mine was at a different level, and above the Persian mine.
2. The number of Roman individuals trapped was somewhere around 19, but only half had shields, and fewer still were armored. The unarmed individuals seem to be mine workers.
3. The deaths were sudden, and the result of an incendiary device containing bitumen and sulpher ignited by the Persians, one of whom was possibly caught in the flames. His lower legs were burned away, and apparently was trying to remove his mail when overcome. This device was ignited when the Roman countermined broke into the Persian mine shaft, and caught the Romans by surprise. ( Du Mesnil comments that the Roman bodies still smelled of decomposition when discovered.) James challenges du Mesnil’s conclusion that the mine was sealed on the Roman side while fighting was still going on, and pursues the idea that the mine was sealed after the sulpher device was ignited, and did not want to reenter the mine shaft, after some afterthought.
4. Artillery stones were recovered from the shafts. It is not unknown for projectiles to be launched down straight mine galleries. James indicates the possibility that the Romans shot these stones into the mine after the incendiary device was ignited, fearing a Persian attack that did not materialize. These stones support the idea that the Romans sealed their end of the mine after the death of the Roman party. Possibly unknown to the Romans, the Persians probably sealed their end of mine quickly as well.
The fact that the Persian body was not recovered, lends some doubt to the idea that the Roman bodies were deliberately piled up near the Roman entrance to the counter-mine by Persian forces once the sulpher fumes had cleared.
The article is worth reading in full, and is much more informative than my short and inadequate note in which I hope I got my summry right.
Ralph
Simon James: Stratagems, Combat, and “Chemical Warfare” in Siege Mines of Dura –Europos
In summary, James reviews the original excavation of Robert du Mesnil and his notes and hand drawn maps, and make a few different interpretations. In short, these are some points of interest:
1. The Roman counter-mine was at a different level, and above the Persian mine.
2. The number of Roman individuals trapped was somewhere around 19, but only half had shields, and fewer still were armored. The unarmed individuals seem to be mine workers.
3. The deaths were sudden, and the result of an incendiary device containing bitumen and sulpher ignited by the Persians, one of whom was possibly caught in the flames. His lower legs were burned away, and apparently was trying to remove his mail when overcome. This device was ignited when the Roman countermined broke into the Persian mine shaft, and caught the Romans by surprise. ( Du Mesnil comments that the Roman bodies still smelled of decomposition when discovered.) James challenges du Mesnil’s conclusion that the mine was sealed on the Roman side while fighting was still going on, and pursues the idea that the mine was sealed after the sulpher device was ignited, and did not want to reenter the mine shaft, after some afterthought.
4. Artillery stones were recovered from the shafts. It is not unknown for projectiles to be launched down straight mine galleries. James indicates the possibility that the Romans shot these stones into the mine after the incendiary device was ignited, fearing a Persian attack that did not materialize. These stones support the idea that the Romans sealed their end of the mine after the death of the Roman party. Possibly unknown to the Romans, the Persians probably sealed their end of mine quickly as well.
The fact that the Persian body was not recovered, lends some doubt to the idea that the Roman bodies were deliberately piled up near the Roman entrance to the counter-mine by Persian forces once the sulpher fumes had cleared.
The article is worth reading in full, and is much more informative than my short and inadequate note in which I hope I got my summry right.
Ralph