On 24 Dec 2008, at 14:30, Mark Mazer wrote: > >I seem to recall one ancient Greek city-state's army was wiped out after > >they feasted on Kalmia honey, went unconscious, were discovered and killed by > >another Greek city-state's army. Any confirmation? The account is by Xenophon in "The Anabasis", commonly known as "The March of the Ten Thousand." It's an account of a Greek mercenary army left to its own devices in Mesopotamia and making their way overland though now-Armenia to the Black Sea. Some of the soldiers ate honey during the trek and were sickened or driven mad. The plant responsible is believed to be /Rhododendron ponticum/. The soldiers' famous shout on seeing the sea glinting in the distance "thalassa, thalassa!" is one of the immortal moments in all of literature. The Wikipedia's article on Xenophon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xenophon/ is as good a place as any to start exploring, and includes a good map. There's probably a Penguin Classics edition of The Anabasis in English for those wanting to read the book for themselves. I am not aware of another account of toxic honey in the Greek literature, but I'm not an expert on the field so may be wrong-o. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island http://maps.google.ca/maps/…