A combustible compound emitted by a flame-throwing weapon, used to set light to enemy ships. It was first used by the Greeks besieged in Constantinople (673–8). It ignited on contact with water, and was probably based on naphtha and quicklime.
It occurred to him that whoever the arsonist was, he must have used Greek fire.
Their navy first threatened Constantinople in 654, Greek fire being one of the weapons used to defeat this and subsequent armadas.
The defenders of the castle were killed off by hunger, plague, or actual weapons such as Greek fire arrows.
Cromwell wants Shardlake to pursue two men who claim to have discovered the secret of Greek fire, an ancient weapon of mass destruction, in the hope that it will restore him to the king's favour.
In 1139 the Second Lateran Council decreed that Greek fire and similar burning weapons were ‘too murderous ‘to be used in Europe.’
Definition of Greek fire in US English:
Greek fire
nounɡrēk ˈfī(ə)r
historical
A combustible compound emitted by a flame-throwing weapon and used to set light to enemy ships. It was first used by the Greeks besieged in Constantinople (673–78). It ignited on contact with water, and was probably based on naphtha and quicklime.
Cromwell wants Shardlake to pursue two men who claim to have discovered the secret of Greek fire, an ancient weapon of mass destruction, in the hope that it will restore him to the king's favour.
In 1139 the Second Lateran Council decreed that Greek fire and similar burning weapons were ‘too murderous ‘to be used in Europe.’
The defenders of the castle were killed off by hunger, plague, or actual weapons such as Greek fire arrows.
Their navy first threatened Constantinople in 654, Greek fire being one of the weapons used to defeat this and subsequent armadas.
It occurred to him that whoever the arsonist was, he must have used Greek fire.