Greek Fire

Type Object Region Byzantine Empire Time 601–1101

Greek Fire was a secret incendiary weapon of the Byzantine navy, appearing around the 7th century, projecting a liquid fire compound that burned on w…

Timeline

672–678Sea of Marmara — waters of Constantinople · Sea of MarmaraThe Byzantine fleet used Greek Fire to burn Arab ships during the siege of Constantinople; the inventor is said to have been the Syrian artisan Kallinikos. The compound did not extinguish in water and was expelled through copper tubes, becoming the decisive weapon of imperial naval defense.
701–1000Imperial workshops of Constantinople · Byzantine EmpireThe formula was hereditarily held only by the imperial family and a few artisans; in 718 it again repelled the Arab siege. Projectors extended from warship prows to castle defenses, forming a multi-layered fire-attack system, and outsiders never deciphered the composition.
1021–1030Byzantine naval bases · MediterraneanIn the early 11th century the imperial fleet still fielded Greek Fire against pirates and eastern threats, but as the navy shrank and the Seljuks and Normans pressed from land and sea, its strategic value declined, and over-secrecy left the technical tradition at risk of having no successors.

Sources

Greek fire https://www.britannica.com/technology/Greek-fire
Greek Fire, Poison Arrows and Scorpion Bombs: Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World — Adrienne Mayor (2003)