Until the advent of materialism and 19th c. dogma, Western Civilisation was superior to anything Islam had developed. Islam has not aided in the development of the modern world; in fact civilisation has only been created in spite of Islam. Proof of this resides in the 'modern' world and the unending political-economic and spiritual poverty of Muslim states and regions. Squatting on richer civilisations is not 'progress'. Islam is pagan, totalitarian, and irrational.
One of the great military and medieval inventions was Greek fire. It remains a mystery.
Greek fire was a Byzantine incendiary weapon used from the 7th century onward.1 Greek fire saved Constantinople from Muslim navies many times from the 7th to 12th centuries. This complex technology was crucial in the Byzantine Empire's military successes, particularly in naval battles, where it was deployed to devastating effect against Mahometan ships.2
Key Features and History
Naval Weapon:
Greek fire was most famously used in naval warfare. It was projected from siphon-like tubes mounted on Byzantine warships, allowing them to spray a flammable liquid onto enemy vessels.
This weapon proved particularly effective in defending Constantinople against Arab sieges, notably in the 7th and 8th centuries.
Composition:
The exact composition of Greek fire remains a mystery, and this is why it cannot be replicated today.
Historical accounts suggest it contained a mixture of flammable substances, likely including:
Resin (from pine trees)
Sulfur
Quicklime
Possibly petroleum or naphtha
It is believed that the mixture ignited upon contact with water, making it especially dangerous at sea.
The use of Quicklime would explain the increase of heat when water was added.
Secrecy:
The Byzantines guarded the secret of Greek fire's composition very closely.
The formula was known only to a select few, and it was considered a state secret of the highest importance.
This secrecy contributed to the weapon's mystique and its effectiveness as a psychological deterrent.
Decline:
As the Byzantine Empire declined, the knowledge of Greek fire's composition was eventually lost.
By the later Middle Ages, the weapon was no longer in use.
Modern Attempts at Replication:
Despite numerous attempts by historians and scientists to recreate Greek fire, no one has been able to produce a mixture with the same properties as the original.
While various flammable mixtures have been created, none have matched the reported characteristics of Byzantine Greek fire, particularly its ability to burn on water and its intense heat.
The loss of the exact ratios of the ingredients, and perhaps even some of the ingredients themselves, is the reason it is impossible to recreate.
Sources:
1Wikipedia: Greek Fire: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_fire
2Britannica: Greek Fire: https://www.britannica.com/technology/Greek-fire
Adrienne Mayor Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs: Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World, 2003