Units of History - Byzantine Fire Ships - Ancient Superweapons DOCUMENTARY

A history documentary on the Byzantine Fire Ships! Claim your SPECIAL OFFER for MagellanTV here: Start your free trial TODAY so you can watch “Pyros: Painting with Fire“ which covers the fascinating behind the scenes world of Fire Works Displays: This animated documentary is part of our Units of History series covering elements of the Byzantine Army and more. In this episode we explore the Fire Ship super weapons which saved the Byzantine Empire. The documentary begins with a look at the history of incendiary weapons. This stretches from the Assyrian Army to the Indian, Sassanid, Greek, and Roman forces as well. Specifically however we focus on the emergence of Naptha and Greek Fire. This technology came at a critical moment when the Byzantine Empire was being overrun by the Arab Conquests and would prove to be their savior. In the equipment section we cover how the greek fire siphons were built and how they were mounted on Byzantine Dromons. We then turn to their tactical use in battle before covering their service history. This includes critical action during the numerous times when invaders tried to execute a siege of Constantinople. We cover the Arab Siege of Constantinople in the 8th century as well as the Kievan Rus attack on the city in the later 10th century. In previous episodes we have covered the Byzantine Grenadiers, Varangian Guards, the Roman Cataphracts, and many more fascinating troop types. What Units of History should we cover next? THE BYZANTINES Byzantine Flamethrowers and Grenadiers : The Varangian Guard : THE HELLENISTIC WORLD Macedonian Silver Shields : Macedonian Companion Cavalry : The Spartan Skiritai : The Spartan Royal Guard : The Sacred Band of Thebes : Mycenaean Chariots : Balearic Slingers : THE ROMANS Roman Cataphracts : Roman Army Spies : Roman Army Scouts : THE NORTHMEN The Jomsvikings Mercenaries : Viking Berserkers : Early Germanic Warriors : THE AFRICANS Nubian Archers : The Sacred Band of Carthage : Carthaginian War Elephants : The Numidian Cavalry : THE NEAR EAST The 10,000 Immortals : Credits Research = Sophia Ware and Chris Das Neves Script = Chris Das Neves Narration = Guy Michaels Editing = Penta Limited Sources and Suggest Reading: “Greek Fire” by Linda Alchin “Byzantine authors: literary activities and preoccupations” by John Nesbitt “Praecepta Militaria” by Nicephorus II Phocas “Tactica” by Emperor Leo VI the Wise #Units #Byzantine #Documentary