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Various types of biological warfare (BW) have been practiced repeatedly throughout history. This has included the use of biological agents (microbes and plants) as well as the biotoxins, including venoms, derived from them. ''Before the 20th century'', the use of biological agents took three major forms: * Deliberate contamination of food and water with poisonous or contagious material * Use of microbes, biological toxins, animals, or plants (living or dead) in a weapon system * Use of biologically inoculated fabrics and persons ''In the 20th century'', sophisticated bacteriological and virological techniques allowed the production of significant stockpiles of weaponized bio-agents: *Bacterial agents: Anthrax, Brucella, Tularemia, etc. *Viral agents: Smallpox, Viral hemorrhagic fevers, etc. *Toxins: Botulinum, Ricin, etc. ==Antiquity== The earliest documented incident of the intention to use biological weapons is recorded in Hittite texts of 1500–1200 BC, in which victims of tularemia were driven into enemy lands, causing an epidemic. Although the Assyrians knew of ergot, a parasitic fungus of rye which produces ergotism when ingested, there is no evidence that they poisoned enemy wells with the fungus, as has been claimed. According to Homer's epic poems about the legendary Trojan War, the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey,'' spears and arrows were tipped with poison. During the First Sacred War in Greece, in about 590 BC, Athens and the Amphictionic League poisoned the water supply of the besieged town of Kirrha (near Delphi) with the toxic plant hellebore.〔Mayor, Andrienne (2003), ''Greek Fire, Poison Arrows, and Scorpion Bombs: Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World'', The Overlook Press, Peter Mayer Publishers, Inc., ISBN 1-58567-348-X, pp 100–101〕 During the 4th century BC Scythian archers tipped their arrow tips with snake venom, human blood, and animal feces to cause wounds to become infected. In a naval battle against King Eumenes of Pergamon in 184 BC, Hannibal of Carthage had clay pots filled with venomous snakes and instructed his sailors to throw them onto the decks of enemy ships.〔Rothschild J.H. (1964), ''Tomorrow’s Weapons: Chemical and Biological'', New York, New York: McGraw-Hill.〕 The Roman commander Manius Aquillius poisoned the wells of besieged enemy cities in about 130 BC. In about AD 198, the Parthian city of Hatra (near Mosul, Iraq) repulsed the Roman army led by Septimius Severus by hurling clay pots filled with live scorpions at them.〔Cornelius Nepos, ''Hannibal'' 11.5-6. Herodian 3.9.3-8 and Dio Cassius 68.31-75 and Epitome 75.10 and 76.10.〕 There are numerous other instances of the use of plant toxins, venoms, and other poisonous substances to create biological weapons in antiquity. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「History of biological warfare」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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