Vinegar

[richard robinson]

Our national TV carrier, ABC, is playing Dr Who nightly until the next series is unleashed and last night it was the Slitheen episode where they reveal the concept of Hannibal melting rocks with vinegar. I do not recall this mentioned when I read Livy. Is it totally bs or is there some historical basis to it?
curious
Richard Robinson

[Nathan Ross]

Here you go:

Livy, History, XXI, 37

I think the vinegar/rocks treatment is also mentioned in Pliny and possibly Ammianus too. Most notes to this record that any liquid will do - the rock doesn't actually melt, but either shatters or crumbles as it's heated and then doused with liquid. A lengthy process, anyway!

[M. Demetrius]

Limestone is alkaline (calcium carbonate), vinegar acidic. Mixing the one with the other will dissolve the limestone into calcium salt, water, released non-toxic gas, foam, and impurity sand, eventually.

But what's the point of doing that and wasting all that nice vinegar? :roll: :wink:

[Vindex]

But what's the point of doing that and wasting all that nice vinegar? :roll: :wink:

Could have been worse...could have been wine.

Sometimes the two are interchangeable - and not just in the ancient world sadly :roll: )

[richard robinson]

gods bless you all
and the writers of that series

Richard