Callinicus of Heliopolis was a Byzantine architect and alchemist of Jewish or Egyptian origin who flourished around 620 AD. He is credited with the invention of Greek fire, the premodern precedent of the flamethrower. According to Constantine Porphyrogenitus he arrived in Byzantium in the time of Constantine IV and shared his knowledge of liquid fire with the Byzantines. His exact formula was a carefully guarded secret and remains unknown today; possible ingredients include resin, asphalt, sulfur, naphtha, fine quicklime and calcium phosphide.
Callinicus of Heliopolis
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Callinicus of Heliopolis (Wikipedia)
In Group: Industrial Chemists and Process Inventors, Introduction
Callinicus of Heliopolis (Medieval Greek: Καλλίνικος fl. 620 AD) was a Byzantine architect and alchemist of Jewish or Egyptian origin.
In Field: Chemical Engineering, Lead section
620 AD) was a Byzantine architect and alchemist of Jewish or Egyptian origin.
View the SourceGreek fire (Wikipedia)
Invented: Greek fire, HistoryQuote, Invented: Greek fire, History
Greek fire proper was developed in c. 672 and is ascribed by the chronicler Theophanes the Confessor to Kallinikos (Latinized Callinicus), a Jewish architect from Heliopolis, in Syria
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