How Greek Fire was Used to Target Enemy Ships

The invention of Greek Fire gave the besieged city of Constantinople hope against the invading Arab forces. But they still had a problem: how to fire the flames onto the enemy ships.
From the Series: World of Weapons: War at Sea bitly.com/2xeTU9y

[@davidblair9877]

For those who ask how this works with wet wood: the majority of a ship should be very dry. Only the part under or near the waterline is regularly exposed to water; the deck, sails, ropes, and upper hull should be well out of the way of spray, and of course the interior should be watertight. Add weeks of blazing Mediterranean summer sun and the pitch or tar used for caulking, and you’ve got a literal tinderbox. Fire was one of the greatest threats a ship’s crew could face right through the Age of Sail.

[@spets4265]

Let us not forget the crew itself is also pretty flammable.

[@Shinyboy29]

Considering war campaigns are usually launched in spring and summer the weather really helped a lot in stopping the advancing Arab invaders

[@mydogsareneat]

I always theorized it was a liquid shooting a powder that would than stick to the tar holding the ships together with enough heat in its ember to ignite

[@BeKindToBirds]

Ships of the time were taken out of water when not in use, there are massive sheds all around the Mediterranean built to hold ships in the winter months and out of the water where they would degrade within years otherwise.

[@tharengore7215]

What's interesting is no one knows what the formula was for ancient Greek fire we can only take calculated guesses at it.

[@anastkollias4735]

Beetle juice knows

[@hockeyh]

@Ali Dangou it was a byzantium secret

[@alexpark8631]

Ali Dangou it was a closely guarded secret and once the empire fell, the secret on how to make greek fire died too

[@floatingchimney]

Tharen Gore, that's not exactly interesting since they have not (obviously) yet developed scientific knowledge of chemistry to actually write down the formula.

[@reddyforlenny9389]

Alter Kater Greek Fire couldn’t be put out by anything, the only way it could be put out is by letting the substance burnout or suffocation. So no you can just “mix everything flammable in it” because if that was the case it wouldn’t be effective and everyone would’ve done it by now too.

[@TheSaneHatter]

"I love the smell of Greek Fire in the morning! It smells like . . . VICTORY!!!"

[@ariffurqan9862]

No buddy the arab win this war

[@b3ygghsas]

@@ariffurqan9862 Not really, the siege he is talking about happened in 717, the arabs were totally destroyed in this siege, the only ones who conquered the byzantines were the ottomans (who are not arabs) in 1453

[@TheSaneHatter]

@@b3ygghsas Thank you: it's nice to see that someone has a grasp of FACTS, as well as pop culture . . . and certainly not mere ethnic nationalism.

[@ariffurqan9862]

The ottoman still part of arab on this time, you need to read the book from the arab perspective

[@spunkmaster666]

Ariffurqan 19 no that’s not correct, more like Arab lands and peoples were part of the Ottoman Empire at that time. The Ottomans originated in Anatolia in Turkey, certainly not in Arabia

[@conradseeto7506]

"My name is syphon pump and I spit hot fire"

[@andrewcampbell4092]

Conrad Seeto YOU TOO CLOSE MAN

[@srercrcr]

We all knew you spit.

[@rarelyevenusedaccount]

its a I not a Y

[@MonsterMeatMarcus]

Conrad Seeto “i rhyme and i rip, i rip and i rhyme”

[@LookBackHistory]

"All the crew could do was watch helplessly" God, that's a horrible way to go out

[@biocaster777]

That, or YEET themselve out of the ship. Either way, you die, just choose between fire and water.

[@bradmarchand8646]

@@biocaster777 I'd rather choose water. Burning alive is my worst nightmare.

[@Lots17]

@@bradmarchand8646 you underestimate drowning. It's probably more horrible than burning

[@randomboys1000]

@@Lots17 it really isn't

[@AJ-dx6bn]

They still win anyway

[@RedwihteGame]

THEY USED ATTILA TOTAL WAR AS REFERENCE! How cool isn’t that?

[@jhn2121]

Yea

[@bladfadsfblaadsfsadf900]

It’s pretty not cool!

[@camgablecg]

Total war Rome originally was used in a tv show as well

[@millardfillmore2869]

Rlly?

[@WillyYum55]

Wait For real? I wouldn’t know because I only play mediaeval 2 Rome 2 Empire and Warhammer2

[@kylepomeroyk-pom5499]

Of all people in the world . George St Pierre and Joe Rogan got me looking at Greek Fire

[@markjackson6151]

Haha same mate! Just got it in your recommendations?

[@iandixon7641]

Me to 😀

[@YeshuaCameAndGaveUsLifeandLove]

Its good they bring up subjects like this that away its gets the Algorithm pumping out older tags to be revealed to new searches!

[@TopOnePercentCribs]

Me too!

[@shanewallace2743]

Joe and gsp got me here to guys how y’all doin lol

[@olaff9771]

1204 Never Forget

[@TigerTank238]

1453 never forget

[@curesat0ria106]

@@TigerTank238 but in my opinion 1453 is better than 1204

[@kubrikansis7289]

1066 never forget

[@denierdev9723]

1066, 1204 and 1453 are all long, long after the Greek era, literal MILLENIA.

[@senseishu937]

Isn't that when the crusaders sacked constantinople?

[@superfluous9726]

Someone once explained it as a "makeshift flamethrower". Two words that should not go together.

[@ArousedRat1]

Sam?

[@lucuix9901]

no, it is the original flamethrower.

[@anthonylarson60]

⁠@@lucuix9901they was also a hand held version called the cheirosiphon

[@KoRL12]

0:12 is that total war?

[@Condoc64]

Kamrat yeah lol

[@fasiapulekaufusi6632]

I believe it is yes

[@moibe182]

I had only look images or suppositions on how Greek fire works, and you just replicated it! It looks awesome, great explanation. You earned a subscriber.

[@BijouxTheMaltezDog]

As a Greek, I am very proud that this is our history

[@rickyyacine4818]

But what about kalinkos he was siryan Christian

[@TheReal_GMan]

@@rickyyacine4818…who was a citizen of the Greek/Roman Empire at that time

[@rickyyacine4818]

@@TheReal_GMan is it me or all siryan very loyal to Byzantine more then greeks think about it leo third and kalinikos all siryan had somehow saved Byzantine empire many times think about it

[@TheReal_GMan]

@@rickyyacine4818 yes, they were very loyal

[@rickyyacine4818]

@@TheReal_GMan fun fact most of the emperors that saved Byzantine during a crisis are from outside Byzantine it self or greece to be correct Leo 3rd siryan Leo 5 Armenian Heracles Armenian / north African Basil first Macedonian Justinian the great bullkans iluryain Maurice Armenian Nicophroce the first Arabian from the ghasaniad kingdom from jordan Nicophorce second Armenian John first Armenian

[@1steventolsen]

I had a very vivid dream about this thing at the time i had no clue what it was called. In it i got a walk around the hardware aspect. It consisted of 2 tanks. One had a fire under it to heat the liquid. The second contained the flammable liquid far away from the fire as not to cause an explosion. The tank that was heated by the fire was water. As it boiled, it sent steam via pipe to pressurize the vessel containing the fuel. There were hand valves to control the steam and vent the water tank. I look at the pictures and look at theories of hardware with fire under the vessel containing fuel and find that preposterous.

[@throughtfulbrawelergaming6669]

The first flamethrower made in ancient Greek.

[@phosphorusdaemon7]

More than half of the things in the world are invented by Ancient Greeks, even the English language is a Greek Dialect.

[@braindead6611]

Omvrios Zeus what kind of dumb statistic is that

[@Lucius1958]

@@phosphorusdaemon7 Sorry, no. English started out as a Germanic language; it got mixed with Nordic, then French and bits of Latin. Greek didn't enter into it until relatively late.

[@christopherzantiotis]

@@Lucius1958 True, but a lot of Latin words (and romance words like French) have Greek etymological roots.

[@apokos8871]

ancient??? this was close to a millenium later

[@Poisonedblade]

Genius, "Why don't we burn the enemy ships?" Skeptic, "Hah! You cannot burn wet wood! The enemy is in the water, fool!" The rest is history.

[@juancarlosdegoya2757]

Scary part is, it ignited WITH water, the More water you add to it the worse it gets, that and the fact it wasn't even red or even blue, it was a swirling green color, yikes.

[@Poisonedblade]

@@juancarlosdegoya2757 I think it had to be oil / grease based. Greeks had livestock and used olive oil for everything. I imagine it was a really bad grease fire that burns hot. And water just spreads it.

[@juancarlosdegoya2757]

@@Poisonedblade maybe, it does seem you have a point, olive oil is green so it could be the reason for its colour, and after all grease does float on water, but I think there had be more to it, scientists greater than you and I tried to replicate the recipe with no success

[@Poisonedblade]

@@juancarlosdegoya2757 Well, they're also trying to recreate the LEGEND of Greek fire, which could be exaggerated. I'd have to study it... Just think of the fear. And enemy ship has fire... they throw water on it.... the fire spreads all over the ship! I think people would freak out and jump into the sea at that point. Traces of copper would create the green flames. There's gotta be something else that the greeks had access to, that caused it to burn.

[@juancarlosdegoya2757]

@@Poisonedblade Apparently it also contained lime so there is that

[@firingallcylinders2949]

All I know is this makes for some sick Byzantine fire ships in Age of Empires 2

[@markperacullo7541]

"ASTINOOOS" get the greek fire!!!"

[@razorsharpview9090]

That Tiberium Wars Music Background give a sense of thrill and excitement in me.

[@JJefArt]

Good and informative video

[@AmazingNatureRelaxation]

🌺Amazing historical weapon. Great teaser. -Henry

[@morelifeking2973]

I’m here because of GSP

[@DirectorPepper]

The comment I was looking for

[@Ornzora]

Greek: This story will became the most legendary fiction story ever made Scientist: And i took that personaly

[@f..4269]

Отличное и приятное видео!👍🤗

[@larrytruelove7112]

It’s true that no knows with certainty what the formula was. I suppose several competing theories exist. We would have to have better information on what was available. One of the problems is that several imitations used the same terminology. Quick lime and pine resin are among the possibilities. Calcium hydroxide under certain conditions can generate a lot of heat in the presence of water.

[@josenathanieltendencia245]

i could only thought of a unique tactic in repelling a cavalry charge: have your soldiers move their spears forward. and as the enemy cavalry closes in to your spear formation, then you can order your flame troopers to burn the enemy, scaring off both men and horses, then attack.

[@kaiza9184]

Maybe….

[@zurbereshisaqesh7601]

byzantines used hand-held flamethrowers to scayyer enemy pike/spear blocs, according to Maurice's Strategikon

[@zippyparakeet1074]

@@zurbereshisaqesh7601 that's inaccurate. Greek Fire didn't exist when Maurice wrote the Strategikon. Neither did Islam, for that matter.

[@flyingchick9014]

I love how the ancient greek inventions works Especially by Archimedes that he invented machines like modern days but in their own historical version

[@aurorab4553]

This is considered middle ages.

[@histguy101]

This is technically a medieval Roman invention.

[@denierdev9723]

@@aurorab4553 Yeah, 717 is 100% Middle Ages

[@ChronosHellas]

@@histguy101 it’s literally a GREEK FIRE you illiterate, it was invented by Thebans and Athenians and it was the evolution to the Byzantines(Greeks).

[@histguy101]

@@ChronosHellas ok? The Byzantines didn't call it Greek Fire. I'm assuming you're referring to the "Boeotian flame thrower." That was about 1100 years earlier. Incendiary weapons were used both before and after, and by many different peoples.

[@TheProrage509]

Is Greek fire made of tar? I’ve read it floats on water and tar is very sticky. Could be oil. Who knows.

[@louisvespia9546]

I love history so much. I am blessed that the Smithsonian is a thing as prestigious as they are with all the knowledge

[@jackspicer455]

That so smart!!!

[@kz11377]

The world's first flame thrower. Eat your heart out Elon Musk! 🤣

[@da_plasma_catto1801]

Ww1 Germans:...

[@jackhavinga2862]

Imagine the fear of the invading sailors, feeling no doubt very confident in their sturdy ships and their naval siege, readying to defend against what appears to be another of Constantinople's harassment against their siege lines, suddenly seeing their ships begin to burn. Sailors and soldiers alike jumping into the sea to save themselves, incredibly tall and hot flames from the sails and rigging igniting... Definitely would have been a terrifying experience.

[@pherrishill2570]

Great video Hot Stuff 🔥

[@unsuspectingfeline867]

Western Roman war machine: giant crossbows and catapults Eastern Roman war machine: *FLAMETHROWER*

[@itssameLuigi]

thank you GSP

[@whtbobwntsbobget]

Thank God the narrator still said AD

[@victorjeffers1993]

Pretty smart weren't they ! 👍👍

[@maidenaholic]

Technology was very advanced back then, somehow suddenly we went downhill, hit the dark ages and went backwards, only the 19th century did we really start to return to Technology advancement again. But if we stayed on course, today we would have been so more Technologically advanced

[@ashbirk4681]

This video has me jonesing for total war

[@luftim]

i am writing my BA-Thesis on this innovation right now.

[@vasilis_t4608]

Slavs be like: It WaS The mAcEdOnIaN fIrE

[@ashika1009]

Wow!

[@arober9758]

Incredible and double incredible but hot stuff!!🇺🇸🤗🤗🤗🤗

[@sakellarioudimitris7439]

Looks like Renaissance period was not the only period of amazing inventions Proud to be Greek

[@MyViolador]

Byzantines: Get off my port! *casts fireball*

[@ohheyitsjoshhinac495]

It’s all fun and games on the ocean till they pull out the flamethrower

[@jabanan]

I think that George R. R. Martin got inspired somewhere with those battles

[@russellwilson6193]

It's the earliest example of flame thrower.

[@barricadedpurifier]

1:00 Command and Conquer 3 music?

[@BlueHawkPictures17]

"Light Infantry" to be precise

[@denmasAnom7]

Mantap 🇮🇩🇮🇩

[@melissajade7717]

I like how "there's nothing new under the sun" rings true. We thought flamethrowers we a new invention in the world wars hah! History had us beat.

[@Pentax67]

To answer some comments. There is a formula that is about perfect as ancient times. Stop saying no one knows. Sure no one knows the exact one but at 95-99% you have the formula. And it’s burning blue like it should. Greek fire recipe : Saltpeter - 6 parts Sulfur -1 part Quicklime-1 part (secret ingredient) Mix everything thoroughly. Add 1 -1.5 parts of crude oil (black). Mix. Use a nearby flame and swing the substance across the flame to project and create a super-powerful flame. By part I mean just parts. It can be 1 part = 1 barrel . Or 1 part = 1kg.

[@hazanaimon6458]

And it even works under water!

[@psychiatry-is-eugenics]

.crude oil and magnesium powder mix . The oil would prevent the magnesium from igniting too soon

[@AristonSparta]

How does water not extinguish it then?

[@nabil1122]

@@AristonSparta When magnesium interacts with water, it will form a hydrogen gas that ignites violently due to the excessive heat and oxygen supply

[@whatisbow2865]

@@nabil1122 Yes the same reason engine blocks that are on fire are really hard to put out.

[@georgep.burdell7237]

@@AristonSparta Never had to deal with a grease fire? Water can't interact with an emulsion the same way it can with something like gas or wood burning.

[@TheCuteZombie]

Okay, but how did they get metalic magnesium centuries before electricity?

[@gvbrandolini]

Interessante

[@CaptainHarlock-kv4zt]

In Greece we call it just liquid fire.

[@nickdiazarmymfers8582]

Υγρόν πυρ , δεν ήξερα ότι οι Ξένοι το αποκαλούν greek fire 😂 .

[@fredpierard3739]

I bet they ate tacos 2 days before the battle !

[@EngPheniks]

early ship cannon

[@kerrygibbs8198]

The example wall was 32’ away. The flame thrower looks like it maxed out at 30’.

[@justme-ve3oj]

wow two cylinder pump during that time?

[@apalahartisebuahnama7684]

During early sieges of Constantinople I can't get myself to understand how Arabs plan works, it's amphibious landing with support from fast moving Arab reinforcement from Syria to Anatolia, how the Byzantine unable to stop them from Anatolian coast line? The Arabs even managed to did this twice.

[@zippyparakeet1074]

The Empire was badly wrecked and was in crisis when Islam rose. It also lost a majority of its navy in the Battle of the Masts (654) which made the Arabs masters of Eastern Mediterranean. The Romans only had enough ships left to defend the capital, not venture out and reclaim the Mediterranean. Land wise the Arabs had an advantage as well. After the loss of Syria and Egypt, the Romans were not strong enough to face the Arabs in pitched battle. Their only hope was siege warfare which the Arabs were not that good at.

[@siddharthaotaku8982]

Dude did he tried to put out the zippo lighter by blowing on it??

[@yellowishyellow328]

gives me battle of the blackwater vibes

[@stripemcr5722]

in other words a flametrhower

[@celiacarmody-007]

Still to do day we fail to recreate Greek Fire. The inventor was the only one who knew how to make it and he took it to his grave.

[@the_dropbear4392]

Not true as the Byzantines used it for ~600 years

[@cheekibreeki3757]

I just have a lot Vietnam flashbacks

[@thnktank1]

Thats an engine!

[@honeybee-fp6bx]

1:32 why will the enemy allow you to come as close as 10 m?

[@PMDacpano]

Naval battle that time was more of ramming and boarding the enemy ships, so having a flamethrower was very convenient.

[@hellstorm300]

Can 10 meters shooting distance be ever enough for the relatively complex apparatus to damage the ship that can simply move out of reach? And more over the engineers who settled it up would be completely exposed to the arrows from the boats. I'm pretty sure this fire was delivered in different way, not by simply spitting it from the short distance.

[@lucuix9901]

They could have had bigger pumps but the arabs didn't put archers on those ships. You also have to remember that they were controlled by men. There was not way to simply move out of reach lol.

[@dimitristripakis7364]

The operators could be protected or even below deck. Also the attacker need not stand by the enemy ship while it burns. Just side with them, pump a good 10-20 seconds of fire on them, then move away. What could they do ? Throw arrows etc, Ok perhaps they destroyed some fire ships, that is not impossible. But the advantage is very big.

[@bwahaduuude]

A thick wooden bunker of sorts with an opening for the flame thingy

[@spets4265]

You are also under the assumption the enemy knows you have such a device.

[@hellstorm300]

@@spets4265 They need to see it once, then the rumors will spread. Considering that the Greek Fire was used for centuries, it probably didn't rely on the surprise factor that much.

[@sitrakamatthieu]

Engineering is cool.

👍👍👍

[@4head527]

Wait, has this just been posted?

[@neveralonewithchrist6016]

Greek fire equals a DEW!

[@tootallforyou112]

The real kicker is the composition of Greek fire was lost to time, that guy had to re create it through trial and error

[@the_dropbear4392]

Except he didn't re create it

[@tootallforyou112]

@@the_dropbear4392 how do you know? Do you have the exact formula?

[@the_dropbear4392]

@@tootallforyou112 because no one knows what it is.

[@tootallforyou112]

@@the_dropbear4392 so you cant say he didn't either

[@_its_ish_]

Rogan and GSP brought me here.

[@mrblack9791]

was it flammable sewage

[@jollyplaguedoctor7512]

1:27 Uhhhh,isn't that a Greek Trireme? Byzantine Greek fire siphons were only mounted on Byzantine Dromons. The Greeks didn't even have access to it.

[@HellasBallQDK]

you cant have eastern rome without the greeks☦☦👑👑

[@schrisdellopoulos9244]

Soldiers (sailors?) were only trained on how to use their part of the Greek fire guns. Secrecy was so tight that the weapon became extinct. Today the best we can do is guess. This is a fun video but doesn't describe what the Byzantines actual formula for Greek fire was.

[@aristeidislykas7163]

Their technology was adequate for production of Methyl Nitrate. The big question is how they prevented it from detonating.

[@hi_im_elli]

why specifically methyl nitrate ? u can literally make nitrates out of poo its not that big of a deal

[@dylanmccallister1888]

Dont forget the greeks developed the first steam engine the aeolipile So a simple pump and nozzle is not far fetched to me I mean they already had running water and sewers they understood fluids pretty well

[@zippyparakeet1074]

They were Romans. They literally called themselves so and spoke Latin.

[@gilpaubelid3780]

​@@zippyparakeet1074Byzantines were Greeks with Roman citizenship. That's why they called themselves both "Greeks" and "Romans". Byzantines spoke Greek, not Latin.

[@zippyparakeet1074]

@@gilpaubelid3780 Latin phased out very slowly. When the Greek Fire entered the picture they still spoke Latin in many places. Even coins continued to be issued in Latin until the Solidus (Nomisma) was abolished. Constantinople remained the best place in Europe to learn classical Roman Latin (and not the medieval or ecclesiastical Latin used in Western Europe) and have access to ancient Roman Latin texts until the 1204 sack. At this point of Eastern Roman history, the Greek identity was still seem as a taboo and only began to revive during the Macedonian Renaissance as a response to thr previous century's Iconoclasm in order to revive idolatry.

[@gilpaubelid3780]

@@zippyparakeet1074 Latin was never spoken extensively at the eastern part of the empire even before the byzantine period (let alone during the byzantine period) . The lingua franca at the eastern part for the entirety of the empire's existence had always been greek. When it comes to the coinage already by the time of Justinian the greek numbers were used and by the 7th century we have Greek inscriptions. As for the Latin language and Latin literature in general it's kind of hard to miss the disinterest (and in some cases even the disdain) of the Byzantines towards them. I'm not sure what gave you that impression but Greek identity was never considered a taboo. There are plenty of primary sources from the entirety of the byzantine period where Byzantines were saying that they were Greeks.

[@zippyparakeet1074]

@@gilpaubelid3780 idfk what beef KZbin's got with me but I'm at my wit's end. Both of my replies got removed.

[@DiggityDaws]

...GSP brought me here...

[@scorchtitanfall1199]

FLAME CORE ACTIVATED

[@EMillerphotography]

Its in Ukraine I guess, I remember those soviet firetrucks :D

[@vladimir0681]

Could be any ex-soviet republic. in first world countries there will never be an insurance to cover this experiment

[@haikal2306]

No, Ukraine is the only one who use these firetrucks.

[@bruh7894]

@@vladimir0681 The firetruck is definitely ukrainian, it even has an emblem of ukrainian fire force.

[@georgep.burdell7237]

Weird that the screen says C.E. but the narrator says A.D.

[@bobeslami9770]

I thought heard Greek Fire was used in the American Civil War, made by naptha, oil, sulfur, and guncotton. Is the formula really hard to re-create?

[@the_dropbear4392]

A flame weapon may have been used but it won't have been greek fire because the forumal is unknown. There sre no records of how to make it.

[@groermaik]

Uh, not third.

[@coolhandluke9783]

Who else here for Conqueror's Blade season 5????

[@gordgasperski1514]

Wildfire

[@NotTheEx]

Grease fire, maybe?

[@collaborisgaming2190]

0:14 IS THAT TOTAL WAR FOOTAGE?

[@ezrak3949]

I wonder what happens when it rains.

[@nicolasbruno829]

I'm definitely on the FBI watch list now.

[@farrahatmadja1478]

The video didn't even tell you the secret substance 😂

[@nicolasbruno829]

@elite13 Ik

[@zakariamussa3703]

i heard greek fire had similar properties to the Amaterasu in naruto from the ocular jutsu sharingan where the fire would not be put out, even in water.

[@thesecretlibrary890]

Not really. Not able to be put out is an exaggeration.

[@jonhseven133]

2023 is growing

[@The_Honcho]

Real life Amaterasu

[@jctan2694]

Early acces flamethrower

[@skwizzzb3904]

Lighter fluid

[@shable1436]

How do we not know how to make it today

[@thomasfoster1985]

The recipe was a byzantine state secret. very few people would have known how to make it at the time. Eventually the recipe was lost/forgotten. We can make similar, better weapons today no problem, we just don't know exactly what recipe they used. It doesn't help that there are conflicting reports on what its properties actually were as well.

[@the_dropbear4392]

Because the recipe was kepr secret, and when the empire fell the knowledge of how to make it was lost

[@markheditz5216]

Khali bin Ibn Al Waleed : No

[@rednil]

"roughly 32' away" more like 15-18'