Quantcast
Channel: Lars Brownworth - Latest Comments
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 105

Re: Was the recipe for Greek Fire ever stolen?

0
0

I'd like to post a question regarding Greek Fire, its substance and names. Now, we all know that the Byzantines themselves didn't actually call it "Greek Fire" and instead we see many other names in the sources - Medean Fire, Liquid Fire, Naval Fire, Battle Fire etc. We also know it was being used through siphon-flamethrowers, usually on special ships, but occasionally also on land and even hand-held flamethrowers. However, we also have reports of it being used in grenades (spherical cones). Not only that, but we also have reports of such grenades of Medean Fire being used by the Arabs, Bulgarians and others. In regards to the Bulgarians, we also have one occasion when Khan Krum is reported to have captured "36 copper siphons and not a little of the liquid fire used with them" after the siege of Mesembria in 812. There are reports of various kinds of liquid fire, unburned sulphur etc., being used even centuries before Callinicus by the Persians, and centuries later even by nomadic peoples like the Cumans.
So I wonder - if "Greek Fire" really remained such an undisclosed secret, would that mean that "Greek Fire" was simply the best recipe (or the best mechanism for its exploitation - namely, the flamethrower) among a number of other recipes for inferior liquid fire, used by the other nations?
I've also read a suggestion that there were two types of "Greek/Medean Fire" - one was the Naval or Liquid Fire, which was obviously liquid and used in flamethrowers, while the other would have been the Battle Fire, which would have been of a powder substance and used in the fore-mentioned grenades. If that is so, would the "true" Greek Fire rather be the liquid form or would that term encompass both the liquid and the eventual powder?


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 105

Latest Images

Trending Articles



Latest Images