"War is the father of all things."1 Volkman begins his book, Science Goes to War, with this quote from Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher. Volkman uses the quote to suggest that many, if not all, scientific advancements owe their birth to the desire for or the fear of war. Fire is undoubtedly a part of this advancement as Bert Hall points out, "Fire is one of the primordial forces of nature, and incendiary weapons have had a place in armies' toolkits for almost as long as civilized states have made war."2 Of all the tools at the disposal of the Byzantine Empire's military, the 'so called' Greek fire was the most important.3
Greek fire was a weapon system that allowed Byzantine ships, as early as the seventh century, to spew fire at its enemies. On the ship's prow was the head of a lion or some other monstrosity, cast in brass or iron. In it's mouth was a bronze siphon that could swivel back and forth.4 The flaming liquid that spewed from this siphon came with the roaring sound and a black cloud of smoke. What makes it worse is that it even burns while in water.5 The fear it instilled in enemies sometimes egged men in full plate armor to leap in the water, knowing they will be dragged down to the bottom simply because drowning was preferable to being burned alive.6
Such an awe-inspiring beast of a weapon was already predisposed to legend and rumor. However, even as cinematic as Greek fire was, its cloud of ambiguity is, frankly, ridiculous. Put as accurately and elegantly as possible, Greek fire was "a misnomer wrapped in a misconception, confused in translation, veiled in secrecy, and embellished with apocrypha."7 At one point, one of the Byzantine emperors wrote in a letter to his son that Greek fire "was revealed and ta...
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...timore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1960. p. 19.
Parkington, James Riddick Parkington. Origins and Development of Applied Chemistry. New York: Arno Press, 1975.
Roland, Alex. Review of A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder, by James Riddick Parkington, Technology and Culture, Vol. 41. No. 1 (Jan., 2000).
Roland, Alex. “Secrecy, Technology, and War: Greek Fire and the Defense of Byzantium, 678-1204.” Technology and Culture Vol. 33, No. 4 (1992): 655-679.
Russel, Bertrand. History of Western Philosophy. London: George Allen and Unwin LTD, 1946. p. 60.
Stannard, Jerry. Review of A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder, by James Riddick Parkington, Philosophy of Science, Vol. 29. No. 4 (Oct., 1962).
Volkman, Ernest. Science Goes to War: The Search for the Ultimate Weapon, from Greek Fire to Star Wars. New York:John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002.
In this article, The Fireman: Immaculate Manhood, Robyn Cooper reveals many concepts of fire. He says, "As spirit, fire is both purifying and heavenly, punitive and damning. Fire also symbolizes love and passion, as purifying and confining, burning passion as consuming and destroying. Fire is defined as a masculine principle because of the association of fire and heat with energy, life and power (man is sun, woman is moon). In relation to sexual generation, it was traditionally held that the spark of the semen ignited the cold womb to generate life.
As citizens of the United States of America, we are often blind to not only the current traditions of foreign nations, but also the historical traditions of early civilizations. For instance, many have heard of the Greek city-state Sparta; however, do they truly understand the impact of Spartan civilization in history? Sparta is quite unique in its structure and development, and its history offers valuable insight to early Greek civilization. In his novel Gates of Fire, Steven Pressfield works diligently to uncover the realities of life in Sparta during the Persian Wars. Though the novel is a work of fiction, Gates of Fire is astoundingly accurate in its historical detail, and offers readers the opportunity to have a greater comprehension and
Guerber, H. A. Myths of Greece and Rome. New York: American Book Company. 1921. Print.
In The Aeneid, fire is a common symbol and it carries multiple meanings through the epic. Fire is usually seen as a destructive force that can ruin entire cities, as seen in Troy. However, in The Aeneid, one important meaning of fire is the connection between destructive emotions and fire. Symbolic fire can reside in the emotions of the characters and symbolize the fury and passion in their hearts. These emotion are clearly conveyed through Dido and Juno as they make impulsive decisions concerning Aeneas. The Aeneid begins with Juno’s “unforgettable rage” (I.4) towards the Trojans. Juno’s rage is a constant problem for Aeneas as he journeys to Italy. Juno’s rage is seen physically when she manipulates Trojan women to set their own fleet on
"A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture [Paperback]." Amazon.com: A Brief History of Ancient Greece: Politics, Society, and Culture (9780195156812): Sarah B. Pomeroy, Stanley M. Burstein, Walter Donlan, Jennifer Tolbert Roberts: Books. Web. 13 Apr. 2012.
Advancements in technology and science contributed to one of the most gory and bloodiest wars in the annals of human existence. These new technological advancements revolutionized how people regarded war. War was no longer where the opposite forces fought in a coordinated battle. War evolved into a game of cunning strategy where the side with the bigger, more powerful, and smarter toys played better. This led to a fierce competition where each side tried to create the smarter machines and better weapons, leading to deadly mass killing weapons in the process.
Nardo, Don. The Ancient Greeks at Home and at Work. 1st ed. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 2004. Print.
Grene, David., and Richmond Alexander Lattimore. Greek Tragedies. 2nd ed. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1991.
Late Helladic fortification walls on the Greek mainland are found surrounding citadels, not the entire city or site. The citadels seem to have housed central administration and housing for an elite class of citizens. They were built on hills, presumably as another layer of fortification. I will examine the sites of Gla, Midea, Tiryns, and Mycenae to look for similarities and differences in the design and architecture of their fortifications, as well as, arguments about the purpose of the fortifications at these sites. I will also explore how some sites were hindered or helped defensively and economically by their location and their use of fortifications.
Fire Fire is the element of change, passion, authority and leadership. Household (domestic) fire represents comfort, friendliness and human strength.
Pressfield, Steven. Gates of Fire: An Epic Novel of the Battle of Thermopylae. New York: Bantam, 1998. Print
...r. "Ancient Greece." Gardner's art through the ages the western perspective. 13th ed., Backpack ed. Boston, Mass.: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2010. 101, 123,129. Print.
"Unhandled Exception." Ancient Greece - History, Mythology, Art, War, Culture, Society, and Architecture. 2008. Web. 27 Feb. 2011. .
Herodotus. “Greece Saved from Persian Conquest.” Readings in Ancient History. Eds. Nels M. Bailkey and Richard Lim. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002.
Clarke, Fiona, and Mark Bergin. Greece in the time of Pericles. Hemel Hempstead: Simon & Schuster, 1909.