Hatrenian fire

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The Hatrenian Fire or Fire of Hatra was an ancient incendiary weapon used by the inhabitants of the Mesopotamian city ​​of Hatra . It consisted of a burning mixture of bitumen and sulfur that was poured over the attackers who stormed the walls. Burning oil is said to have been used in some cases. Around 500 years later, the Byzantines used a comparable weapon, the Greek fire .

The fire contributed to Hatra surviving several sieges by Roman emperors ( Trajan in 116 and Septimius Severus in 196 (?), 198, 199) as well as the Sassanid ruler Ardaschir I (227).

literature

  • South. The Third World magazine. No. 63, January 1980, ISSN  0260-6976 , p. 120.
  • David Nicolle The Desert Frontier (= Rome's Enemies. Vol. 5 = Osprey Military. Men-at-arms Series 243). Osprey Publishing, London 1991, ISBN 1-85532-166-1 , p. 39.