Medieval Roman (byzantine) videos...

[neoptolemos]

There are some "Byzantine" videos:



Greek fire in real use




Byzantine fan art











Some of these guys are similar to Varangs:





Byzantine VS Normans in Taranto:




By...SgtNase
http://vizantia.info/docs/73.htm

[AnthoniusII]

Great...Research Mega DuX !!!

[neoptolemos]

Thanks my lord!!!
Did you see the first video about Greek fire!
It is showing the reconstructed siege size Greek Fire throwers along with the hand version of greek fire!!!

[AnthoniusII]

That is the reason we have "Siphonatores" in our Roster!!!

[Nicholas H.C]

Cool Vids Neoptolemos!!!

[Caesar Clivus]

I think I've seen that greek fire documentary on TV before :hmmm:

[neoptolemos]

Another video:
3D reconstruction of the greek fire

[Basil 11]

I found this video really educational!
+ rep

[Barser]

That greek fire video is old. I remember seeing it when news of kingdoms was comming and they where teasing us with the greek fire. People would then claim it was fantasy and this video showed up.

And ha it looks funny with those role playing guys fighting. That always cracks me up. Larping deluxe http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqpgA...eature=related
and haha thats a real Alamanoi for ye: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkirT...eature=related

[SquireJames]

I think you'll find its called Re-enactment, and well, yes, only have 6 guys or so per side kind of ruins it, but still, they are very good at what they do (ironically, we re-enactors have to be good at not killing people, but making it look as if we are trying to)

I'm a First World War re-enactor myself, so the closest I come to hand to hand is a bayonet charge (in which we usually all get blasted apart by a maxim anyway)

Anyways, makes you wonder, thinking of both the Eastern Empire and the First World War (hehe, actually theres another link, the Ottoman Empire, whos ancestors destroyed the Eastern Empire, wasn't finally destroyed until 1918 when the British and the ANZACS and local rebellions forced their surrender). Why did we go down such a complex route with flamethrowers (pressurised bottles on our backs, correct viscosity to light etc) when a simple bathroom sealant gun type affair would basically be far more portable and far less dangerous to the user. Sure, its shorter ranged, but with flamethrowers thats a given anyway. You could just carry a few of the bottles around like magazines and make the bottom chamber a hollow uncapped cylinder, slide the bottles in, engage the siphons by pulling down a bolt of some sort (like the lids of jam jars) and away you go.

EDIT: and well, okay yes I admit, the guys in the videos you posted were LARPers indeed. (the whole "i'm trying to be a mediaeval soldier whilst wearing my $24.99 pair of Levis and some old trainers" look gives it away, real re-enactors go the whole way, and wowsers, if i'm hot in a woolen uniform in June, I can only imagine what the guys in the full platemail must feel like)

[Fistanditilus]

the thing about the greek fire demonstration though, is that it looks like the flame just dissipates after traveling some distance

wouldn't that make it's use extremely limited? maybe they didn't use actual greek fire or naphta or w/e but i think the lethality of greek fire comes from sticking to its target and continuing to burn, rather than just disappearing

[Xamt]

the thing about the greek fire demonstration though, is that it looks like the flame just dissipates after traveling some distance

wouldn't that make it's use extremely limited? maybe they didn't use actual greek fire or naphta or w/e but i think the lethality of greek fire comes from sticking to its target and continuing to burn, rather than just disappearing

well you have to keep in mind that at the time the use of flamethrowers, bombs, and general weapons that created fire and sound wasnt either common or even known to some cultures, so imagine having ur spear and shield and running to someone who just held a metal pipe... then when u get close the pipe started spewing fire!!

the psychological effect must have been devastating and actually i think they must have damaged morale way more than people ... also think about what a horse would have done when confronted suddenly by a flame traveling towards it

[Basil 11]

well you have to keep in mind that at the time the use of flamethrowers, bombs, and general weapons that created fire and sound wasnt either common or even known to some cultures, so imagine having ur spear and shield and running to someone who just held a metal pipe... then when u get close the pipe started spewing fire!!

the psychological effect must have been devastating and actually i think they must have damaged morale way more than people ... also think about what a horse would have done when confronted suddenly by a flame traveling towards it

I agree - I think the greek fire should have a particularly profound effect on horses!

+ rep

[Kallum]

great films + rep

[neoptolemos]

Thanks!!!

[NikeBG]

Hey, since I have you available, I guess this is the perfect place to ask - Do you think the Byzantines in this old movie (it's from 1981) are somewhat accurate for the time of 680AD or not?

[AnthoniusII]

Hey, since I have you available, I guess this is the perfect place to ask - Do you think the Byzantines in this old movie (it's from 1981) are somewhat accurate for the time of 680AD or not?

No...definatly not!

[NikeBG]

No...definatly not!

What would the differences be more precisely?

[AnthoniusII]

What would the differences be more precisely?

We are working on a roster for this era...Hold on a bit and you will see the diferences!

[NikeBG]

We are working on a roster for this era...Hold on a bit and you will see the diferences!

Ok, great, can't wait!