It was one of the most terrifying weapons ever made. But the secret Ingredients and technology required to make the incendiary substance "Creek fire" has defeated scientific minds ever since the 12th century. Greekf ire was a flaming mixture fired from the ships of the Byzantine empire from the 7th century. The fire would cling to flesh and was impossible to extinguish with water. This deadly concoction was created by a family of chemists and engineers from Constantinople, and the secret recipe died with them. John Haldon from Princeton University has a hunch though: he suspects it was a petroleum-based liquid modified to increase its potency. He thinks the key ingredients were a highly flammable light crude oil called naphtha, and pine resin, which is sticky and would have made the mixture burn hotter and longer.
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