Greek fire, also calle: Byzantine fire, Roman fire,, sea fire, liquid fire. In Byzantine Greek: ὑγρόν πῦρ (hygròn pyr, "liquid fire"), πῦρ θαλάσσιον (pyr thalàssion, "sea fire"), was a burning-liquid weapon used by the Byzantine Empire, Arabs, Chinese, and Mongols. The Byzantines typically used it in naval battles to great effect as it could continue burning even on water. It was largely responsible for many Byzantine military victories, and partly the reason for the Byzantine Empire surviving as long as it did.