Kallinikos of Heliopolis

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Greek fire in action (illustration from the 12th century)

Kallinikos von Heliopolis ( Middle Greek Καλλίνικος , Latin Callinicus ) was a Byzantine architect and inventor living in the 7th century .

Kallinikos was Greek and originally came from the Syrian Heliopolis ( Baalbek in today's Lebanon ). Very little is known about his life. He fled from Arab-ruled Syria to Constantinople in the 60s or early 70s of the 7th century .

The invention of the so-called Greek fire is usually attributed to him around 670. It was a highly flammable, gelatinous liquid. This was sprayed onto enemy ships using appropriate devices ( siphons ) or thrown onto them in pots. Kallinikos will have developed the mixture himself; if it had already been known in Syria, it would be difficult to explain the astonishment of the Arabs, especially since the chronicler Theophanes explicitly ascribes the invention to Kallinikos. One source, incomprehensibly, relocates the invention of the mixture to a much later time.

First the fire was used by the Byzantines in a sea battle near Kyzikos against the Arab fleet. The new weapon made this victory possible for the Byzantines and was also of decisive importance for the historically very important defense against the four-year siege of Constantinople by the Arabs , which lasted until 678 . In the years that followed, the Greek fire gave the Byzantine fleet an important advantage.

The Greek fire was lost when Constantinople was sacked by Christian crusaders in 1204. Its composition was a state secret - its details have not yet been clarified.

literature

  • Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (Hrsg.): Prosopography of the Middle Byzantine period . Department 1: (641 - 867). Volume 2: Georgios (# 2183) - Leon (# 4270). de Gruyter, Berlin et al. 2000, ISBN 3-11-016672-0 , p. 443, no. 3585.
  • John Haldon: 'Greek fire' revisited: recent and current research. In: Elizabeth Jeffreys (Ed.): Byzantine style, religion and civilization. In honor of Sir Steven Ruciman. Cambridge University Press, New York NY et al. 2006, ISBN 0-521-83445-7 , pp. 290-325.

Remarks

  1. ↑ James R. Partington : A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder. Heffer, Cambridge 1960, p. 12, (1st paperback edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5954-9 ).
  2. ↑ See general prosopography of the Middle Byzantine period . 1st department. Vol. 2. 2000, p. 443, no. 3585, with further literature.
  3. ↑ James R. Partington: A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder. Heffer, Cambridge 1960, p. XXI, (1st paperback edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5954-9 ).
personal data
SURNAME Kallinikos of Heliopolis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Byzantine alchemist, architect and inventor
DATE OF BIRTH 7th century
PLACE OF BIRTH Baalbek (formerly Heliopolis), Lebanon
DATE OF DEATH 7th century or 8th century