Can you make Greek fire?

It is often regarded as an at least partial "recipe" for Greek fire: This fire is made by the following arts: From the pine and certain such evergreen trees, inflammable resin is collected. This is rubbed with sulfur and put into tubes of reed, and is blown by men using it with violent and continuous breath.

Can we recreate Greek fire?

Wikimedia CommonsA depiction of Greek fire being used at sea against Thomas the Slav, a 9th-century rebel Byzantine general. What's truly fascinating about Greek fire is that armies who captured the liquid concoction were unable to recreate it for themselves. They also failed to recreate the machine that delivered it.

What was the formula for Greek fire?

Its exact composition is still a mystery. Naptha or petroleum is thought to have been the principal ingredient, probably with sulphur or pitch and other materials added. It's not clear how it was ignited, but quicklime was probably used, mixed with the main ingredients at the last moment.

Do we know how Greek fire was made?

It was invented during the reign of Constantine IV Pogonatus (668–685) by Callinicus of Heliopolis, a Greek-speaking Jewish refugee who had fled the Arab conquest of Syria. The substance could be thrown in pots or discharged from tubes; it apparently caught fire spontaneously and could not be extinguished with water.

What chemicals are in Greek fire?

Composition probably included a mixture of quicklime, saltpeter, naphtha, sulfur, resin, and pitch, and calcium phosphide. Some form of bitumen, such as tar or asphalt, was likely used as a base. No one knows the exact composition and there are conflicting accounts as to its properties.

How Greek Fire was Used to Target Enemy Ships

How do you make a real Greek fire?

It is often regarded as an at least partial "recipe" for Greek fire: This fire is made by the following arts: From the pine and certain such evergreen trees, inflammable resin is collected. This is rubbed with sulfur and put into tubes of reed, and is blown by men using it with violent and continuous breath.

What color is Greek fire?

Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Greek fire burns green and can be made used as bombs.

When did Greek fire stop being used?

In the AD 670s, the Byzantines repelled an Arab fleet attacking Constantinople with siphons mounted to their ships – the beginning of its dominance in its arsenal, which helped the empire survive until the 15th century. But then Greek fire disappeared.

How was Greek fire stored?

Greek fire was created for naval warfare, so the Byzantines could set their enemies' ships on fire. The mixture was stored in jars and pots that could be launched at enemy ships, but the Byzantines found yet another means to weaponize it.

Is napalm a war crime?

Napalm is legal to use on the battlefield under international law. Its use against "concentrations of civilians" is a war crime.

Is napalm the same as Greek fire?

Overview. Greek Fire (also known as Byzantine Fire) was the ancient precursor to the modern Napalm and was first used in battles in the late seventh century. Greek Firewas largely responsible for numerous Byzantine victories and was a large reason why the Eastern Roman Empire lasted as long as it did.

Is wildfire based on Greek fire?

In the books

Wildfire is similar to real-life napalm or Greek fire, both highly combustible liquids used in combat. Greek fire was famously believed to be used by the Byzantine Empire throughout its history (roughly the 4th to the 15th Centuries CE), and so may have been a technology known to medieval peoples.

What is Greek fire weapon?

Greek Fire was an incendiary weapon first used in Byzantine warfare in 678 CE. The napalm of ancient warfare, the highly flammable liquid was made of secret ingredients and used both in catapulted incendiary bombs and sprayed under pressure so as to launch flames at enemy ships and fortifications.

Who is the Greek god of fire?

Hephaestus, Greek Hephaistos, in Greek mythology, the god of fire. Originally a deity of Asia Minor and the adjoining islands (in particular Lemnos), Hephaestus had an important place of worship at the Lycian Olympus.

What is fire in ancient Greek?

Noun. πῦρ • (pûr) n (genitive πῠρός); third declension. a fire.

Can wildfire hurt dragons?

From an interview in 2003: "Dragons, on the other hand, are pretty much immune to fire." From that and from The Princess and The Queen, I would say that fire cannot harm a dragon. A dragonrider, on the other hand, would still be flammable.

Are flamethrowers still allowed in war?

The military use of flamethrowers is restricted through the Protocol on Incendiary Weapons. Apart from the military applications, flamethrowers have peacetime applications where there is a need for controlled burning, such as in sugarcane harvesting and other land-management tasks.

What are the 5 laws of war?

Principles of the laws of war

Military necessity, along with distinction, proportionality, humanity (sometimes called unnecessary suffering), and honor (sometimes called chivalry) are the five most commonly cited principles of international humanitarian law governing the legal use of force in an armed conflict.

What is banned from war?

Specific types of weapons are banned entirely, such as anti-personnel landmines, and biological and chemical weapons. Other weapons are subject to limits – such as the restrictions on the use of booby-traps. Weapons are constantly being developed and the law evolves accordingly.

How did ancients make fire?

Two methods were used to make fire. One was by striking a special piece of iron (strike-a-light) on a piece of flint. The other method is by friction of wood on wood. The strike-a-light was most common.

How did Vikings make fire?

3. Vikings used a unique liquid to start fires. Clean freaks though they were, the Vikings had no qualms about harnessing the power of one human waste product. They would collect a fungus called touchwood from tree bark and boil it for several days in urine before pounding it into something akin to felt.

Do Vikings still exist?

So do Vikings still exist today? Yes and no. No, to the extent that there are no longer routine groups of people who set sail to explore, trade, pillage, and plunder. However, the people who did those things long ago have descendants today who live all over Scandinavia and Europe.

Were any Vikings black?

A small number of Vikings had black—or brown—skin, according to reliable historical evidence. For centuries, dark-skinned people either willingly traveled to Scandinavia or were forcibly taken there as slaves. Over time, some assimilated with the Vikings through farming, marriage, combat, and other cultural factors.