Byzantine Greek Fire Weapon

Timeline

1. c. 530–580Naples · ItalyDuring Justinian's wars to recover Italy, the Byzantine fleet already used fire ships and incendiary projectiles to burn Gothic defenders' ships at the siege of Naples (536). Procopius's Wars records a mysterious flame that water could not extinguish and only vinegar and sand could put out, showing that the sixth-century East Roman empire had mastered advanced incendiary technology, laying the practical foundation for the later Greek fire system.
2. c. 580–600Constantinople · Byzantine EmpireFacing pressure from the Sasanian Persians and Avars–Slavs on multiple fronts in the late sixth century, the Constantinople armory workshops accelerated development of liquid incendiaries and bronze siphon projectors. Imperial chemists and engineers repeatedly experimented with mixtures of petroleum, quicklime, sulfur, and saltpeter, gradually forming a siphon system installable on ship prows or city walls; this development was finalized in the early seventh century by the Syrian architect Callinicus, but the late sixth-century technological accumulation is the core content of this object for this period.