As soon as somebody figures out what was in Greek fire, I imagine we'll have an answer (it's really all that alchemist's fire is, only without the real-world historical name). Current theory is that it was a mixture of petroleum, naptha, and quicklime, with another "secret ingredient" that nobody really knows.
And they carried it on ships in sealed casks, ejecting it from large bronze tubes onto other boats. It burst into flames when exposed to air at the end of the tube. Basically a primitive flamethrower that self-ignites. Very cool stuff.
And they carried it on ships in sealed casks, ejecting it from large bronze tubes onto other boats. It burst into flames when exposed to air at the end of the tube. Basically a primitive flamethrower that self-ignites. Very cool stuff.