What's the oldest weapon that could be called a WMD?

[Revtim]

First, some definitions of WMD:http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&c2coff=1&safe=off&oi=defmore&q=define:Weapon+of+mass+destruction

* Any weapon or device that is intended, or has the capability, to cause death or serious bodily injury to a significant number of people through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals or their precursors, a disease organism, or radiation or radioactivity.
  www.csa.com/hottopics/terror/gloss.php

* a weapon that kills or injures civilian as well as military personnel (nuclear and chemical and biological weapons)
  www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn

* Weapons of mass destruction (WMD) are weapons designed to kill large numbers of people, typically targeting civilians and military personnel alike. Some types of WMDs are considered to have a psychological impact rather than a strictly military usefulness.
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weapon_of_mass_destruction

My 1st guess is that using catapults to chuck diseased animals might the earliest that would fit.

[ParentalAdvisory]

Ass destruction?

Sorry, I couldn’t help it.

[Revtim]

Heh, I noticed that URL abbreviation too. Maybe that’s that gay porn Saddam was supposed to have done… “Weapons of Ass Destruction”
http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/entnews/wwn/20030410/104998680005.html

[Malodorous]

Using disease against one’s enemies is a pretty old tactic. Italian’s during the Renissance used to use catapults to hurl animal corpses over the walls of besiged cities in the hopes of creating an epidemic. The monguls used to dump animal corpses into rivers upstream from thier enemies for similar purposes. I don’t know how effective these tactics were, though.

[Conan_the_Librarian]

I hate to beat (or fling) a dead horse, but the first thought I had when I saw the topic was about hurling dead animals.

I suppose perhaps greek fire, depending on it’s applications. Flinging that onto the neighboring village would do a bit of damage.

[Pushkin]

Asking your deity to rain down hellfire and destruction on someone else would seem to go back to ancient times

[Dunderman]

At least as early as the first century BC (and probably many centuries before that), seafarers in the Mediterranean brought baskets of venomous snakes on the ships, to be hurled on board enemy ships during battles. Does that count?

[Avenger]

So, has any one looked into whether Saddam had any diseased animals? Or programmes to acquire diseased animals?

[andros]

@Priceguy

At least as early as the first century BC (and probably many centuries before that), seafarers in the Mediterranean brought baskets of venomous snakes on the ships, to be hurled on board enemy ships during battles. Does that count?

Cool! Reference?

[Dunderman]

@andros

Cool! Reference?

I suppose “I read it in a book when I was a kid” doesn’t count? Bugger.

Here’s a cite from the second century BC, but I’m pretty sure it was done before that: http://www.usni.org/Proceedings/Articles03/prolandersmaniraq3.htm#b

[Askia]

Fire and sexually transmitted disease.

[silenus]

@Priceguy

At least as early as the first century BC (and probably many centuries before that), seafarers in the Mediterranean brought baskets of venomous snakes on the ships, to be hurled on board enemy ships during battles. Does that count?

I don’t think that meets the definition. WMDs have to involve, or potentially involve civilians as well as military units. The snakes would just be another cold-blooded tactic. (Sorry!)

“Mass Destruction” entails indiscriminate deaths, so smallpox-infused blankets, diseased animals, etc. qualify.

[cmkeller]

Jawbone of an ass?

[Dunderman]

@silenus

I don’t think that meets the definition.

According to one of Revtim’s definitions, it does:

Any weapon or device that is intended, or has the capability, to cause death or serious bodily injury to a significant number of people through the release, dissemination, or impact of toxic or poisonous chemicals or their precursors, a disease organism, or radiation or radioactivity.

I’d say it counts.

[sub]Besides, I read that when I was like ten years old and have been waiting for a chance to drop it into casual conversation ever since, so when a shade of a chance to do that pops up there’s no way on God’s green Earth that I’ll let it pass me by, so there.[/sub]

[Aangelica]

Bah. Under that definition all weapons are weapons of mass destruction.

All weapons (barring a few fairly extreme examples) can be used to kill large numbers of people and used to kill civilian as well as military targets.

If you’re talking about indiscriminate weapons of mass destruction (ones that kill large numbers of people at approximately the same time regardless of their military status), I think the diseased-animal-chuckers have it. Or possibly sabotage in the form of poison dropped into water sources.

Modern WMD’s are just more efficient - they’re not a particularly novel innovation to warfare. One of the abiding problems with war from time immemorial is that people get killed regardless of their military status.

[Revtim]

The problem I have with that definition is the “significant number of people” part. That’s pretty subjective. If it’s only one person, but that person’s me, I find that significant!

[Pushkin]

Israelities vs Egypt, something BC.

The first born son of each family dying is a bit too precise to be included perhaps, but it wasn’t used solely on the military.

Cite? The Christian Bible. Somewhere. Page 78.

[Liberal]

I would say fire.

[matt]

@Priceguy

I suppose “I read it in a book when I was a kid” doesn’t count?

Depends on the poster and the claim, mate! Your word’s good enough for me on this one. As long as it wasn’t an Asterix book…

Askia’s suggestions are good. Deliberate use of fire in high population-density areas probably trumps deliberate use of disease, and it’s certainly a mass killer and indescriminate.

I wonder about the deliberate use of sexually-transmitted diseases as a weapon - “suicide-prostitutes” might be able to do a lot of damage to an army!
Personally, I submit stampeding war elephants. Not because I think they were first, but because they are cool.

http://www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/islam/mongols/elephants.html

[ReuvenB]

@cmkeller

Jawbone of an ass?

Has to be fresh, though.