Ufumu wa Byzantine umadziwika bwino chifukwa cha matchalitchi ake akuluakulu, zithunzi zokongola komanso kusunga zidziwitso zakale. Komabe, ufumu umenewu unathandizanso kwambiri m’mbiri ya nkhondo. Makamaka, a Byzantine adapanga chida chatsopano komanso chotsogola chotchedwa Greek Fire. Ngakhale akatswiri a mbiri yakale amakanganabe momwe lusoli linagwirira ntchito, zotsatira zake zinali chida choyaka moto chomwe chinasintha nkhondo mpaka kalekale.
Kumayambiriro kwa zaka za zana lachisanu ndi chimodzi CE, Ufumu wa Byzantine unalipo kale monga ulamuliro waung’ono koma ukukula m’chigawo chakum’maŵa kwa Mediterranean. Pambuyo pa zaka makumi ambiri akumenyana ndi adani awo a Sassanid kummawa ndi kumpoto, komabe, zinthu zinali zitatsala pang'ono kuipiraipira kwa Constantinople ndi okhalamo - adawukiridwa mwadongosolo ndi zida zamphamvu za adani mobwerezabwereza.
M'chaka cha 572 CE, gulu lankhondo lalikulu lankhondo lochokera ku udani waukulu wa Constantinople, Ufumu wa Perisiya, linalowa mumtsinje wa Bosphorus ndikuyamba kutentha zombo zonse zomwe zafika. Kuzingako kunatenga miyezi iŵiri kufikira pomalizira pake msodzi wina wolimba mtima wa kumaloko dzina lake Niketas anatsogolera asodzi anzake kunkhondo yolimbana ndi zombo za adani zokhala ndi miphika yodzala ndi zamadzi zoyaka moto zimene akanatha kuponyera adani awo akafika pafupi, koma kukhala patali. Nthawi imeneyi inali imodzi mwazosintha zambiri m'mbiri ya Byzantine.
Patapita zaka 674, pamene Aluya anazinga Constantinople koyamba mu 678-XNUMX CE, anthu a ku Byzantium anateteza mzindawo ndi chida chodziwika bwino chotchedwa “Moto wa Agiriki.” Ngakhale kuti mawu akuti "Greek fire" akhala akugwiritsidwa ntchito kwambiri m'Chingelezi ndi zilankhulo zina zambiri kuyambira Nkhondo Zamtanda, chinthucho chimadziwika ndi mayina osiyanasiyana m'mabuku a Byzantine, kuphatikizapo "moto wa m'nyanja" ndi "moto wamadzimadzi."
Moto wachi Greek unagwiritsidwa ntchito makamaka kuyatsa zombo za adani patali. Kutentha kwa chidacho m'madzi kunapangitsa kuti chikhale champhamvu kwambiri komanso chodziwika bwino chifukwa chinkalepheretsa adaniwo kuzimitsa moto pankhondo zapanyanja.
N’kutheka kuti kukhudzana ndi madzi kunakulitsa moto wamotowo. Ankanena kuti madzi osadziwika bwinowo atayamba kuyaka, zinali zosatheka kuzimitsa. Chida chakupha chimenechi chinathandiza kupulumutsa mzindawo ndikupatsa ufumu wa Byzantine kugonjetsa adani ake kwa zaka zina 500.
Anthu a ku Byzantium, mofanana ndi oponya moto amakono, akuti anamanga mphuno kapena siphn kutsogolo kwa zombo zawo zina kuti azithira moto wa Agiriki pazombo za adani. Kuti zinthu ziipireipire, moto wa Agiriki unali wamadzimadzi umene umamatirira ku chilichonse chimene wakumana nacho, kaya chinali chombo kapena thupi la munthu.
Moto wachi Greek unali wothandiza komanso wowopsa. Ankanenedwa kuti amamveka mkokomo waukulu komanso utsi wambiri, wofanana ndi mpweya wa chinjoka.
Kallinikos wa ku Heliopolis amadziwika kuti adayambitsa Moto Wachi Greek m'zaka za zana lachisanu ndi chiwiri. Malinga ndi nthano, Kallinikos anayesa zida zosiyanasiyana asanakhazikike pa kuphatikiza koyenera kwa chida choyaka moto. Chilinganizocho chinaperekedwa kwa mfumu ya Byzantine.
Chifukwa cha mphamvu zake zowononga, chidziŵitso cha chidacho chinali chotetezedwa kwambiri. Amangodziwika kwa banja la Kallinikos ndi olamulira a Byzantine ndipo adadutsa mibadwomibadwo.
Ngakhale otsutsa atapeza Moto wa Chigriki, sanathe kubwereza teknoloji, kusonyeza mphamvu ya njirayi. Komabe, ichi ndi chifukwa chake njira yopangira moto wachi Greek potsirizira pake inayiwalika ndi mbiri.
Anthu a ku Byzantine anagawanitsa njira yopangira Moto wa Chigiriki kuti munthu aliyense wokhudzidwa adziwe momwe angapangire gawo lenileni la Chinsinsi chomwe anali ndi udindo. Dongosololi linapangidwa kuti liletse aliyense kudziwa Chinsinsi chonse.
Mfumukazi ya ku Byzantine komanso wolemba mbiri Anna Komnene (1083-1153 CE), kutengera maumboni a m'mabuku ankhondo a Byzantine, akufotokoza pang'ono za njira ya Greek Fire m'buku lake la The Alexiad:
“Moto umenewu umapangidwa ndi zaluso zotsatirazi: Paini ndi mitengo ina yobiriwira nthawi zonse, amatolera utomoni woyaka. Izi zimapakidwa ndi sulfure ndi kuikidwa m'machubu a bango, ndipo zimawombedwa ndi amuna akuzigwiritsa ntchito ndi mpweya wachiwawa ndi mosalekeza. Kenako m’njira imeneyi imakumana ndi moto pansonga yake ndipo imaunikira n’kugwa ngati kamvuluvulu wamoto pankhope za adani.”
Ngakhale kuti zikuwoneka kuti ndi gawo lofunika kwambiri la Chinsinsi, Chinsinsi cha mbiri yakalechi sichikwanira. Asayansi amakono amatha kupanga mosavuta chinthu chomwe chimawoneka ngati Moto wachi Greek komanso chokhala ndi zinthu zomwezo, koma sitingadziwe ngati a Byzantine amagwiritsa ntchito njira yomweyo.
Monga mbali zambiri zaukadaulo wankhondo wa Byzantine, tsatanetsatane wa kutumizidwa kwa Moto wa Greek panthawi ya kuzingidwa kwa Constantinople sizinalembedwe bwino, ndipo zimatengera kutanthauzira kosagwirizana ndi akatswiri a mbiri yakale.
Mkhalidwe weniweni wa Moto waku Greek umatsutsidwa, ndi malingaliro kuphatikiza kukhala mtundu wina wa sulfure-based incendiary compound, mafuta oyaka moto opangidwa ndi petroleum/naptha, kapena aerosolized fluid yoyaka moto. Mulimonse momwe zinalili, Moto wa Chigriki unagwiritsidwa ntchito makamaka ngati chida champhamvu chankhondo, ndipo unali wothandiza kwambiri panthawi yake.
