Greek fire
Sign in to saveincendiary weapon used by the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire developed c. 672
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Greek fire was an incendiary weapon developed by the Byzantine Empire around 672 that could be sprayed or projected at enemy ships and fortifications. Its exact chemical composition remains unknown, but it was so effective in naval warfare that it helped protect Byzantine territories from invasion for centuries.
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Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Byzantine Empire from the seventh to the fourteenth centuries. The recipe for Greek fire was a closely-guarded state secret. Historians have variously speculated that it was based on saltpeter, sulfur, or quicklime, but most modern scholars agree that it was based on petroleum mixed with resins, comparable in composition to modern napalm. Byzantine sailors would toss grenades loaded with Greek fire onto enemy ships or spray it from tubes. Its ability to burn on water made it an effective and destructive naval incendiary weapon, and rival powers tried unsuccessfully to copy the material.
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