Greek Fire: What Was This Powerful Ancient Weapon?

By | October 29, 2018

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A dragon statue emits fire as people look on during the premiere of 'Game Of Thrones' at Sydney Opera House. (Photo by Don Arnold/WireImage)

If you are a fan of the Game of Thrones, Knightfall or Dark Fall, you may have heard references made to Greek Fire. Greek Fire was a mysterious medieval weapon that helped to make the Byzantines naval forces so powerful because the substance could be easily ignited and remained burning strong even on water. Was Greek Fire a real substance? If so, what exactly was it?

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Greek Fire Was Developed in the Year 672

According to records, Greek Fire was fire developed in 672, but the formula remained a closely guarded military secret. Chemists were able to quickly adopt Greek Fire into a variety of incendiary devices, including projectiles, hand-held devices and a flamethrower. All of them helped to make the Byzantine military victorious in the majority of their battles. Some of the other Byzantine names for Greek Fire, such as war fire, liquid fire and sticky fire, help us to better understand the nature of the mysterious and dangerous substance.