Greek fire: a Byzantine incendiary called sea fire, said to burn above 1,000°C and to be unquenchable by water. It was launched from siphons aboard ships and from siege engines called chyrosiphons, with jars crane-poured onto decks. The Byzantines claimed an angel revealed the formula. 🜂🔥
Greek fire: Byzantine incendiary weapon, its deployment and lost formula
Key facts
- Greek fire was a Byzantine incendiary weapon, also known as sea fire, Roman fire or liquid fire, said to burn at well over 1,000 degrees Celsius and to be inextinguishable by water.
- It was deployed through a siphon placed on ships or on siege engines called chyrosiphons; a portable handheld version similar to a flamethrower also existed.
- Greek fire-filled jars were poured onto enemy ships using cranes called gerania.
- The Byzantines described the invention as divine intervention, claiming the composition was revealed by an angel to the first Christian emperor Constantine and would never be disclosed.
- Around 1100 AD a Byzantine princess described the fire as resin collected from pine and other evergreen trees, rubbed with sulfur and put into reed tubes, then blown by men with continuous breath.
- From around 1204 AD the secret composition of Greek fire was apparently lost, with no later chemist able to replicate it.
- Enemies adapted to the weapon: Muslim navies stayed out of its range and used felt or hides soaked in vinegar as protection, and at sea the weapon required calm conditions and favourable wind.
- The video cites melting points of basalt at about 984-1260 degrees Celsius and granite at about 1215-1260 degrees Celsius, used to assess whether heat damage could account for the affected statues.
Sources
The weapon that burned on water. Greek Fire. Used 674- ...google.com
The weapon that burned on water. flame 1,000°C+ heat. Greek fire was one of Byzantium's most fearsome weapons and played a key role in the ...
What is Greek fire, and how does it float on water?google.com
What is Greek fire, and how does it float on water?
Greek Fire Explained : r/HistoryMemesgoogle.com
The meme would work by saying water doesn't burn, as Greek fire was an early form of napalm that could float and burn.
Mystery of History - What was Greek Fire?google.com
This incendiary weapon, capable of burning even on water ... Greek fire, a weapon deployed by the Byzantine Empire over 1,000 years ago.
Greek fire was the most devastating weapon in the Eastern ...google.com
Greek fire was a combustible liquid, sprayed onto enemy fleets through a brass or bronze tube (siphōn) mounted on the bows of Byzantine ships.
Was this story useful?
Keep exploring
Every site on this page sits on the globe, and the people who research them are on the Discord.
3D Globe · Sites by country · Story Archive · Research Library · Weekly Journal · Search
AI-generated text · images from the original sources · always verify with the sources.