Greek fire

[Xer0]

Can someone tell me what exactly greek fire is?

[Mithrandir]

It's a certain substance, I think it's like liquid tar (composition) which is very flammable, it even burns on water. That's why it was a popular weapon on the sea. (wooden ships somehow didn't quite like flames which couldn't be put out...)

Hope this helped (and hope this is correct http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif )

-Mithrandir-
Tavern's Bouncer.;)

[deejayvee]

As I understand it, the exact composition of Greek fire is still debated.

[Postino]

greek fire was a big time military secrect so it's components were never documented, just passed down from maker to maker.

[G0THIC-Lobster]

It this evil liquid fire thing that was invented by the greeks. The byz deploy the use of greek fire with their ships and they are devasting to other ships( BURN BABY BURN) but it is also very dangerous and must be used carefully

[Papewaio]

Probably quite a few things mixed in with it. I'm sure a historical accounts of its effects and a bit of experimentation would be able to make something that duplicates the result.

At a guess I would say it was an oil with magnesium fillings in it. This would make the oil ignite on contact with water. Or an oil fertiliser type mixture... oil and bird guano mixed with magnesium fillings... highly flammable and unstable... probably would blow someones arm off if not created and handled properly.

Touch powder mixed with oil... I wonder if that would reproduce it.

See why I gave up chemistry... I would have blown myself up by now http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Xer0]

Why and when did people stop using it? And did you use it on other places exept on the sea?

And can someone tell me about naphta?

[Alrowan]

didnt your mothers tell you not to play with fire???

im not sure what naptha was exactly...

[Ithaskar Fëarindel]

Napthas are mixtures of hydrocarbons. Made from the fractional distillation of tar or petroleum; although early forms of naphta were made from the dry distillation of wood.

I remember that from chemistry, but it might be a little inaccurate.

[chilliwilli]

Its widely agreed upon that some of the main ingredients of Greek Fire were sulphur and liquid petroleum. Some also think pitched wood was mixed in too.

[BlackWatch McKenna]

Fire hot - burn caveman.

Besides being a beverage you can order from your local barkeep, it was also a napalmy type thing used in the olden' days. Of it they said:

"Rumors about its composition include such chemicals as liquid petroleum, naphtha, burning pitch, sulfur, resin quicklimeand bitumen, along with some other secret ingredient. The exact composition, however, remains unknown."

http://www.chuckiii.com/Reports/History_Other/Greek_fire.shtml

"Greek fire, a composition Partington believes was made of a distilled petroleum fraction and other ingredients (but not saltpetre), was most famously used in the sieges of Constantinople and the Crusades."

http://www.press.jhu.edu/press/books/titles/s98/s98pahi.htm

[G0THIC-Lobster]

Quote[/b] (Xer0 @ Nov. 11 2002,09:44)]Why and when did people stop using it? And did you use it on other places exept on the sea?

And can someone tell me about naphta?
-_- i dunno, in aoe they say that ppl thinks that its too dangerous to handle(kill more of yo own man then your enemies)Yes and you could pore a hell lot of them or fire em at your enemies when your castle is under siege but you know, if they got pore everywhere it might burn your castle and see fire everywhere. This might be why the byz lose to the turks because 1 dump ppl spill it and then later....all hell break loose and the byz is done for.

[Whitey]

its pretty damn dangerous to use Napalm like substances on a wooden ship at sea I would imagine http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

fire on a boat is the biggest fear (now it is gas explosion)

The composition is lost - was lost, thats why we don't know exactly today...I think it is one of the very few examples of something being uninvented

[Thane Talain MacDonald]

Uninvented....cute http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[Muneyoshi]

You can get the same effect (or would that be affect?) nowadays by soaking styrofoam in gas for a while, till it becomes a "goop" and very sticky. Its sort of like napalm and hard to put out, and will burn for hours if you do it right. Not that id know or anything.... http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[rasoforos]

a fact that is rarely mentioned is that the greek fire was not only a naval weapon. i remember visiting an ancient technology museum in my hometown where you can see 'flamethrowers' for infantry use. the devices were something like a tube with a handle that could be pressed so that the liquid inside could be ejected through a narrow oppening , although the weapon didnt become very famous and it was probably used for special defensive or offensive strategies , i am sure it scared the shit out of the enemy http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[A.Saturnus]

I would say greek fire was uzo mixed with really hot zaziki http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif