Το υγρόν πυρ και η συμβολή του στη βυζαντινή ισχύ

by Konstantinos Karatolios, Giannis Chronopoulos (Editor)

Το θαύμα της χιλιόχρονης Βυζαντινής Αυτοκρατορίας θα ήταν αδύνατο να συντελεστεί χωρίς το στρατό της, που της επέτρεψε να διατηρήσει των ισχύ της παρά τις συνεχείς εξωτερικές προκλήσεις που αντιμετώπιζε από εχθρούς που διέφεραν σημαντικά μεταξύ τους. Στα πλαίσια αυτά, η ρωμαϊκή κληρονομιά ήταν το ίδιο σημαντική με την υιοθέτηση νέων όπλων και τακτικών στη μάχη. Το "υγρό πυρ", αν δεν ήταν το πιο σημαντικό από τα όπλα αυτά, σίγουρα ήταν αυτό που κατάφερε να αποκτήσει τη μεγαλύτερη φήμη όλων. Χρησιμοποιήθηκε καθ' όλη τη διάρκεια της βυζαντινής ιστορίας και χάρισε περιφανείς νίκες στο ναυτικο΄ς της. Το φοβερό αυτό όπλο αγγίζει τα όρια του θρύλου και όμως σχεδόν τα πάντα γύρω από το ίδιο και τη χρήση του παραμένουν για εμάς θολά, εξαιτίας της αοριστίας των πηγών που το αναφέρουν. Καλείται με πλείστα ονόματα όπως "ελληνικό πυρ", "θαλάσσιο πυρ", "σκευαστόν πυρ", "εσκευασμένο πυρ", "θαλάσιον πυρ" και "μηδικό έλαιον", όμως έμεινε στην ιστορία με το φοβερό, αντιφατικό με πρώτη ματιά, όνομα "υγρό πυρ". Στο έργο αυτό ο Κωνσταντίνος Καρατόλιος επιχειρεί να απαντήσει σε μια σειρά από θέματα σχετικά με το υγρό πυρ: Ποια ήταν η σύσταση του υγρού πυρός; Πόσο αποτελεσματικό ήταν; Ποιος είναι ο αληθινός εφευρέτης του; Με ποιο τρόπο το χρησιμοποιούσαν στις μάχες στη στεριά και τη θάλασσα; Το βιβλίο φιλοδοξεί να παράσχει μια ανασκόπηση της μέχρι τώρα έρευνας που να μπορεί να διαβαστεί εύκολα από μη ειδικούς, αλλά και να συμβάλλει στη μελέτη του θέματος, σεβόμενο την επιστημονική μεθοδολογία.

Genres: History

54 pages, Paperback

First published July 17, 2013

About the author

Konstantinos Karatolios was born in Athens, Greece, in 1982. He is a graduate of the Department of Primary Education at the University of Crete and the Department of Social Anthropology and History at the University of the Aegean. He also holds a postgraduate degree in Byzantine Studies at the Department of History and Archaeology at the University of Crete (with a scholarship from the State Scholarships Foundation of Greece). He is a PHD candidate in Byzantine History.
He has contributed to the second volume in the collective work “Riddles of History” and a history of the Primary School of Gerani in Rethymno, Crete through its archives. His latest work (the first to be translated into English) is “Greek fire and its contribution to Byzantine might”.
He is also a regular contributor to Greek and international History magazines and websites.
More info can be found on his website www.karatolios.webnode.com

Reviews

[Nicholas Rossis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karatolios is a teacher and historian (Byzantinologist), and both of these show in his book. He has approached his subject, the weapon known as Greek Fire, with a historian's characteristic combination of passion and distance. Each and every aspect of this formidable forefather of the modern napalm bomb is isolated and examined in detail.

At the same time, the book is separated by topic in easily accessible chapters, as one would expect from a teacher. From the inventor of Greek Fire, to its history, to its military applications; every individual aspect has one chapter dedicated to it. What I enjoyed most is that Karatolios takes care to inform the reader of all theories surrounding this weapon before presenting his own, usually very convincing, conclusion at each chapter's end. He even goes as far as to list an unusual number of primary sources at the end, ending up with almost half the book consisting of footnotes.

This book was particularly timely for me, as I had been researching Greek Fire for my fantasy series. I suspect Martin did the same during his writing of A Clash of Kings, since the battle at King's Landing is saved by use of incendiary flasks that resemble Greek Fire.

[Simon Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A frequent grumble of mine is books that do not do what they say on the tin. You eagerly thumb through the preamble to get to the knowledge promised within and end up reading something else entirely. Unlike PPI there is no compensation when one has been mis-sold a book. Last time it happened with a book that was supposed to be about Basil II, I was so cross I didn't even review it. Not so with this one. This one delivers entirely. Good things come in small packages and this book makes a virtue of brevity by getting to the point. Everything you wanted to know about Greek fire but were afraid to ask: What was in it? How was it used? When was it invented? How much did other people know about it? Nicely written and immaculately translated from its mother Greek it answers all of these thoroughly and concisely with references to original scholarship and leaves us with a myth busting conclusion: Greek fire was not invented lock, stock and two smoking syphons by Kalinikos in the 7th Century, it was however developed and perfected to reach its maximum deadly potential at around this time and no-one ever mastered it to the extent that the Byzantines did.

[Ralph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greek Fire is one of the most fascinating and enduring mysteries of the Byzantine Empire, but information about it in English is rather sparse, and usually only mentioned in passing. In this concise monograph, the author brings together the investigators and speculations of many writers, from the ancient to the modern era. He examines every aspect of the subject, from the composition of Greek Fire to its delivery system, from its discovery to its possible use by pre-Byzantine peoples, including the Arabs, against whom it was used most often by the Byzantines. The author provides an extensive bibliography for those who want to track down the original documents, as well as full notes on the references, often in the original Greek or Latin. It also includes a few illustrations. This is the best examination of the subject I have read, and am glad to now add it to my Byzantine library.

[Robin Chambers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Readers of this excellent academic paper (it is far too short to be called a book) will not be surprised to learn that at the time of its publication the author was finishing a postgraduate degree in Byzantine Studies. It’s a quick and informative read, and should fascinate anyone interested in the “ancient” world and in warfare and the importance of weaponry in the continuous struggles for supremacy between peoples and civilisations. For those who want to delve deeper into the subject there is an extensive list of sources, though in many instances your Greek will have to be up to it! I read it during a twenty minute car journey and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Elisabetta Faenza · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this little book, a real gem for those who love arcane histories. Konstantin provides a fantastic introduction to the mystery of Greek Fire and its uses in Byzantium. His extensive bibliography is immensely useful. Konstantinos' love of Byzantine history shines through as does his extensive knowledge of the subject. The only complaint I have is that I wanted more. I look forward to reading more from this talented historian.

[Augustine Kobayashi · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent study on Late Roman/Byzantine naval weapon commonly known as Greek fire (liquid fire). Extensively citing primary sources, this work elucidates where our knowledge of Greek fire comes from, what Greek fire might have been and how it became such a potent weapon used by the Byzantines against horde of enemies surrounding their empire.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating history book that shows the depth of expert research done by the author. It's written in a very accessible language for those that are not looking for an academic explanation and want to have an easy reference to a part of history that's still a mystery. It was nothing short of enlightening and I'm glad I found this book as I was doing research about the Byzantine empire for an essay. I highly recommend it for history lovers.

[Anatolikon · Rating 2 out of 5]

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