A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v1.c16.s1.38

v1.c16.s1.38

The mention of gunpowder and of some sort of explosives with identical formularies occurs almost simultaneously in the Latin redaction of the work on “Fire” by Marcus Græcus and in the writings of Roger Bacon about the 13th century.¹ Greek fire was introduced into Constantinople from the East abuot the year 673 and the Byzantines evidently knew that saltpetre was its basis; but they kept this knowledge strictly a secret, and abstained from speaking of it by any distinct name lest the information might leak out. Thus the very word saltpetre