The wonder of the thousand-year Byzantine Empire could not have been achieved without its armed forces, allowing it to maintain its power in the face of constant challenges from external enemies that differed significantly in their nature. In this context, what had been inherited from the Romans was just as important as the adoption of new weapons and tactics in battle. “Greek fire” was used throughout the course of the Byzantine Empire and granted resounding victories to its navy. This terrifying weapon was legendary, yet almost all we know about it and its use is clouded by the vagueness of contemporary accounts. This work attempts to answer a number of questions concerning Greek Fire: What was the formula? How effective was it? Who was its true inventor ? How was it used in battles on land and at sea? This book aims not only to provide an overview of the current state of research that can be easily read by non-specialists, but also to contribute to the study of the subject.
Genre: HISTORY / Military / WeaponsThe book is published in English by Quest Publications (http://www.quest-publications.com/) and in Greek by Historical Quest (http://www.historical-quest.com/). It is a consistent seller.
Scientists from various fields disagree on the question of the composition of Greek fire. A contributing factor in this is that, despite the host of references made by the sources to this burning mixture, the descriptions given are not particularly enlightening.
Renderings of naval battles in Byzantine Art, however, rarely shed more light on the issue. The symbolic rendition of whatever is shown in Byzantine Art does not help us towards solving the riddle of Greek fire, although in some cases it is possible to draw some conclusions from illustrations, especially those in manuscripts that have survived.[i] The state maintained a strictly exclusive monopoly on the production and distribution of weapons, something that is hardly surprising when one considers how strict the rules of the administration appear, in the “Book of the Eparch” for example, even in areas that were far less important for its security. Justinian had already established this monopoly in one of his novels, or “new constitutions”, in 539. That we have no other later relevant law, or even references to the possession of weapons by Byzantines, leads us to believe that this legislation was still in force in the centuries that followed.[ii] The formula for such an important weapon, as was Greek fire, could not, therefore, have been anything but a state secret, and thus we cannot hope to find it in some surviving Byzantine manual.
What the 10th century Byzantine emperor Constantine Porphyrogennitos writes is indicative. Constantine claims that liquid fire “was revealed and taught by God through the angels and the first Christian saint Constantine“ (meaning Constantine the Great).
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French
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Already translated.
Translated by Naïma P. Joyal
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Author review: The translator was fast and accurate. We had a very good communication. She has an eye for details and that makes her special. I would love to work with her again. |
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Italian
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Translated by Elisabetta Radicati di Brozolo
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Portuguese
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Translated by Adelaide Franco
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Author review: Excellent job. Would recommend. |
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by I. Fdez.
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