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Song-Dynasty Gunpowder Incendiary Weapons
Various incendiary and explosive weapons based on black powder were produced from the Northern to Southern Song, including fireballs, thunderclap fir…
Timeline
- 1040–1127Kaifeng Prefecture · Kaifeng PrefectureThe Northern Song established an Armaments Bureau in Kaifeng, mass-producing incendiary bombs such as fireballs and caltrop fireballs according to records in the Wu Jing Zong Yao, for city defense and garrison drills, with formulas based mainly on saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal.
- 1181–1190Huaixi and Jingxiang · HuaixiDuring the Xiaozong and Guangzong reigns, in Song-Jin border conflicts, Song forces used thunderclap fireballs and fire lances for city defense and sorties; records in the Song Shu's Military Treatise of 1189 reflect that gunpowder weapons had been incorporated into the regular armament system.
- 1259Shouchun Prefecture · Huainan West CircuitIn the late Southern Song, the 'fire lance' appeared, using bamboo or paper tubes filled with charge and spouting flame from the front, marking the transition from incendiary weapons to tube-shaped firearms; this node records a key step in technological evolution for timeline extension reference.
Sources
- Joseph Needham, Science and Civilisation in China, Vol. 5 Part 7: Military Technology (Cambridge University Press, 1986) — Joseph Needham (1986)
- 《武经总要》（北宋·曾公亮等编纂） — 曾公亮 (1044)