← Explore on the interactive map

Greek Fire Flame-Throwing Warships

Type Object Region Eastern Mediterranean Time 600–1200

Byzantine warships combining the secret incendiary weapon Greek fire with the fast oar-and-sail dromon, a landmark naval combat system.

Timeline

  1. c. 673–678Constantinople · TurkeyByzantium deployed a new incendiary during the first Arab siege of Constantinople; the formula was guarded by the imperial family and dedicated naval personnel, becoming one of the empire's highest military secrets.
  2. 500–900Eastern Mediterranean · Aegean SeaThe dromon was a two-masted oar-and-sail warship with a flame-throwing bronze siphon and ram at the bow, combining rapid maneuver with incendiary attack to become the standard capital ship of the imperial fleet.
  3. 717–718Sea of Marmara and the Straits of Constantinople · Bosphorus StraitDuring Leo III's reign, Byzantine flame-throwing warships burned the Arab fleet in the Bosphorus Strait, and with winter storms successfully lifted the second major siege, consolidating the reputation of Greek fire tactics.
  4. 1100–1300Eastern Mediterranean · Eastern MediterraneanWith the rise of maritime powers such as Venice and Genoa and imperial fiscal decline, the dromon fleet shrank, the Greek fire formula and operating techniques were gradually lost, and the flame-throwing warship as a systematic weapon left the stage of history.

Sources