Blowback

“Who did the photo come from?”

“It was taken by the wife of one of the paleopathologists on my server list. Her name is Molly Davidson. She works with Sotheby’s arms, armour, and militaria division in London.”

“Sotheby’s? As in the auction house?” asked Harvath.

“One and the same,” replied Vanessa. “A new client wanted the value of this piece appraised for auction. Apparently, Molly has had a devil of a time placing it in any sort of historical context, and when her husband received my e-mail regarding Azemiops feae, he had Molly e-mail me the photo. They thought there might be a co

Harvath studied the image more closely. There was definitely a co

“Originally? She thinks it might be from Carthage, probably around the third century B.C.”

“But the Carthaginians were from North Africa in the area that’s now Tunisia. How would they have known about Azemiops feae? You said it was indigenous only to China, Tibet, Myanmar, and Vietnam.”

“I did say that and it’s true,” replied Vanessa. “Azemiops feae is not a reptile that ever would have been seen anywhere near Carthage.”

“So what’s the co

“Let me answer your first question. Carthage was originally a colony founded by the Phoenicians, who were great seafarers. Tyre and Sidon, Carthage ’s two most renowned ports, are even mentioned in the Bible. In fact, the word Bible comes from the word Byblos, another Carthaginian port from which the majority of Egyptian papyrus was exported. Most early books were made from papyrus, and the word Byblos or Biblos became the ancient Greek word for ‘book.’

“Just like their ancestors, the Carthaginians were incredibly adept merchants, skilled at buying and selling just about anything. Even more important, they were also extremely accomplished mariners and traded throughout the Mediterranean. Most scholars don’t believe they traded any farther east than Greece, but it’s possible. There are stories of Carthage foraying into Asia Minor and beyond via the monsoon trade route. If this is true, it’s conceivable that they could have come across the Arthashastra, as well as Azemiops feae and the knowledge of how to extract its venom. This, of course, is all dependent upon whether or not they did in fact establish some sort of trade relations with ancient India.”

“Even if they did. What does that have to do with this breastplate?”

“What do you know about the Carthaginian general Ha

An adept student of history, Harvath replied, “He was one of the most brilliant military strategists of the ancient world.”

“Correct,” said Vanessa, “and Ha

Harvath knew the story well. Ha

“Not so well known,” continued Vanessa, “is a rumor that at the forefront of his forces, Ha

Despite his knowledge of the Carthaginian general, this was something Harvath had never heard before. “Let me guess, you think this weapon was biological or chemical in nature?”

“Since we’re talking about Ha

“Why?”

“ Ha

Harvath was stu

“The best example I can think of, especially because it demonstrates his penchant for venomous snakes, happened sometime around 190 B.C. Severely outnumbered by the Pergamum navy, Ha

“If Carthage had developed contact with India, and from what we know of Ha

“Well, I see a very obvious co

“I agree with you about there being a co

Vanessa could see what Jillian was driving at. “Both the depiction of the wolf and the Azemiops feae vipers on the breastplate were meant as scare tactics. The ancients believed very strongly in the power of psychological warfare. Some were even known to carry ba

“So you think the breastplates were an advertisement?”

“Most definitely,” replied Vanessa, “and let me tell you why. Are you familiar with the Scythians and their archers?”

“Jillian mentioned them.”

Vanessa drew a quick picture on her pad and turned it around so Harvath could see it. “The shafts of the Scythians’ arrows were painstakingly painted to look like the snake from which the venom was taken. Even if one of these arrows simply landed next to you, the psychological effect would be enormous. It’s hard to believe, from a modern perspective, but these techniques absolutely terrorized opposing armies.

“Tactics like these were in widespread use hundreds of years before Ha

“I agree,” replied Harvath. “Everything you’re suggesting is completely in keeping with Ha

“Not many people have. That’s probably because everything we know about Ha

“When it comes to accounts of Ha