Imagine you are in battle, probably scared out of your wits, and then enemy troops start flinging snakes in your face. The ancient Greeks did just that, says a group of researchers who rediscovered a species of boa in Sicily used in warfare.
“The Greeks used to use snakes as projectiles, hurling them at enemy ships before attacking in order to create confusion and fear,” said one of the researchers, Gianni Insacco, according to the news agency Ansa. “In general, they used vipers that had had their venom removed. Alternatively, they would use similar species, like the sand boa.”
Researchers say they have located several specimens of Eryx jaculus, the javelin sand boa, in the province of Agrigento, Sicily. The shy, non-venomous snake is not native to Sicily but the researchers think the Greeks introduced it long ago.
Ancient Greeks colonized Sicily from around 800 B.C. The area where the researchers found the snakes is near the site of two ancient battles.
