Greek fire was an incendiary weapon used by the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire that was first developed . The Byzantines typically used it in naval battles to great effect, as it could continue burning while floating on water. It provided a technological advantage and was responsible for many key Byzantine military victories, most notably the salvation of Constantinople from two Arab sieges, thus securing the Empire's survival. The impression made by Greek fire on the western European Crusaders was such that the name was applied to any sort of incendiary weapon, including those used by Arabs, the Chinese, and the Mongols. However, these were different mixtures and not the same formula as the Byzantine Greek fire, which was a closely guarded state secret. Byzantines also used pressurized nozzles or siphōns to project the liquid onto the enemy. Although usage of the term "Greek fire" has been general in English and most other languages since the Crusades, original Byzantine sources called the substance a variety of names, such as "sea fire" (Medieval Greek: πῦρ θαλάσσιον pŷr thalássion), "Roman fire" ( pŷr rhōmaïkón), "war fire" ( polemikòn pŷr), "liquid fire" ( hygròn pŷr), "sticky fire" ( pŷr kollētikón) or "manufactured fire" ( pŷr skeuastón). The composition of Greek fire remains a matter of speculation and debate, with various proposals including combinations of pine resin, naphtha, quicklime, calcium phosphide, sulfur, or niter. In Titus Livy's history of Rome priestesses of Bacchus are said to have dipped fire into the water, that did not extinguish, "for it was sulphur mixed with lime".