Person

Kallinikos

7th century · 7th century · Also known as Callinicus of Heliopolis

Kallinikos was a Greek-speaking architect or engineer from Heliopolis in Syria who, according to the chronicler Theophanes, fled to Constantinople and introduced Greek fire around 672. The incendiary liquid, projected through siphons from ships, helped the Byzantines defeat the Arab fleets attacking Constantinople in the 670s and remained a closely guarded state secret.

Kallinikos
Image: Unknown author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 profile

Byzantine EmpireMilitary

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Kallinikos. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kallinikos
MLA
“Kallinikos.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kallinikos. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Kallinikos.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kallinikos.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Kallinikos’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/kallinikos (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻