GREEK FIRE & ARABIC CULTURE

The project examines incendiaries, fireproofing techniques, and ballistic compounds within a broader network of exchanges and recontextualizations across linguistic, cultural, and political boundaries. The research draws on a wide corpus of sources, including: • Arabic technical literature, such as the Kutub al-furusiyya (Books on Horsemanship), including the Kitab al-?iyal wa-l-?urub; • Late medieval treatises describing substances such as barud (saltpetre/gunpowder) and their applications; • The Latin Liber ignium ad comburendos hostes, attributed to "Marcus the Greek," and its connections to Arabic traditions. A central aim of the project is to reassess the material and chemical effectiveness of these recipes by combining philological and experimental approaches to reconstruct historical practices and trace their transmission.