Overview
The impression made by Greek fire on the western Europeans during the Crusades was such that the name was applied to nearly any sort of incendiary weapon, including those used later by Arabs, the Chinese, and the Mongols. These, however, were different mixtures and not the Byzantine formula, which was a closely guarded state secret, which has since been lost. The composition of Greek fire therefore remains a matter of speculation and debate, with proposals including combinations of pine resin, naphtha, quicklime, calcium phosphide, sulfur, or niter. Byzantine use of their incendiary mixtures was distinguished by their use of pressurized nozzles to project the liquid onto their enemies.
Although the term "Greek fire" has been the common name since the Crusades, in the original Byzantine sources it is called by a variety of names, such as "sea fire," "Roman fire," "war fire," "liquid fire," "sticky fire," or "manufactured fire."
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