Yes, you read that right. Honey. But not just any honey—this was “mad honey,” a type of honey that’s far from the sweet treat we’re used to. As the Romans marched, hungry and weary, the discovery of wild honey seemed like a stroke of luck. Little did they know, their sweet find was about to turn their military campaign sour.
What is mad honey?
Produced by the world’s largest honey bee, Apis dorsata laboriosa, on the rugged terrains of Nepal and Turkey, this rare honey variant boasts a distinctive reddish hue and a slightly more bitter taste than its counterparts. Yet, what truly sets mad honey apart are its psychoactive effects, a product of the grayanotoxins present within.
These grayanotoxins, primarily found in the nectar of rhododendron flowers from which these bees collect, imbue mad honey with its “mad” characteristics. Ingested in small doses, the honey induces effects ranging from euphoria and lightheadedness to dizziness. However, as the dosage increases, so does the intensity of its effects, escalating to hallucinations, vomiting, loss of consciousness, seizures, and in the most extreme cases, death.
A testament to its potency was vividly captured by a VICE producer who ventured to Nepal to experience mad honey harvesting firsthand. The journey elucidated the honey’s bittersweet allure, this delicate balance underscores the risks associated with mad honey consumption, which vary widely based on individual susceptibility, the grayanotoxin concentration, and the season of harvest.
The body’s reaction to grayanotoxins leads to increased sweating, salivation, and nausea, symptoms that, while typically transient, disappearing within a day, underscore the substance’s potent effect on human physiology.
The Pontus Trap
An unsuspected adversary laid in wait for Pompey the Great and his Roman legion. Not an army of soldiers, but rather a natural concoction: mad honey.
As Pompey’s forces marched through Asia Minor, pursuing King Mithridates, the Pontics set a trap by leaving jars of intoxicating honey along the path of the advancing Roman soldiers. The unsuspecting soldiers, no doubt exhausted and drawn by the promise of a harmless treat, found themselves plunged into a nightmare of disorientation and incapacitation.
This episode marked one of the earliest recorded instances of biochemical warfare, predating our modern understanding of such tactics by millennia.
While the Roman troops indulged in the honey, the Pontics waited, finally springing their ambush once enough of the Roman troops were incapacitated. In the aftermath, the casualties amounted to an estimated 1,000 soldiers.
This was no simple trap. The complexity of the Pontus ambush, leveraging poisoned honey, highlights an exceptional level of precision and tactical foresight. Crafting the honey with a precise concentration of grayanotoxins was critical.
A mixture that was too potent would trigger immediate symptoms in the Roman soldiers, reducing the number of those who consumed it. Conversely, a more diluted concoction would increase consumption but risk the ambushers being discovered before the toxin’s effects manifested.
While some might speculate that Strabo (the historian who brings us this tale), motivated by nationalistic pride for Pontus, his ancestral kingdom, could have fabricated the tale, such a perspective ignores the broader historical context.
The Third Mithridatic War saw Pontus deploying various unconventional strategies, making the use of poisoned honey consistent with their tactics. Furthermore, Strabo’s interactions with Rome’s political elite argue against the notion that he would fabricate a story detrimental to Roman dignity. Therefore, it seems more plausible that the incident transpired as Strabo recounted, possibly as a result of a momentary lapse in Roman discipline or an oversight, rather than a deliberate falsehood.