HISTORY AND TERMINOLOGY OF CRUDE OIL 11
early scientists frequently alluded to the use of bitumen. In later
times, both Christopher Columbus and Sir Walter Raleigh (depending upon the country of origin of the biographer) have been credited
with the discovery of the asphalt deposit on the island of Trinidad
and apparently used the material to caulk their ships.
The use of petroleum has also been documented in China; as
early as 600 BC, petroleum was encountered when drilling for salt
and mention of petroleum as an impurity in the salt is also noted
in documents of the third century AD (Owen, 1975). It is presumed
that the petroleum that contaminated the salt may be similar to that
found in Pennsylvania and was, therefore, a more conventional
type rather than the heavier type.
There was also an interest in the thermal product of petroleum
(nafta; naphtha) when it was discovered that this material could be
used as an illuminant and as a supplement to asphalt incendiaries
in warfare. For example, there are records of the use of mixtures of
pitch and/or naphtha with sulfur as a weapon of war during the
Battle of Palatea, Greece, in the year 429 BC (Forbes, 1959). There are
references to the use of a liquid material, naft (presumably the volatile fraction of petroleum, which we now call naphtha and is used as
a solvent or as a precursor to gasoline as an incendiary material during various battles of the pre-Christian era (James and Thorpe, 1994).
This is the so-called Greek fire, a precursor and chemical cousin to
napalm. Greek fire is also recorded as being used in the period 674
to 678 when the city of Constantinople was saved by the use of the
fire against an Arab fleet (Davies, 1996). In 717 to 718 AD, Greek fire
was again used to save the city of Constantinople from attack by
another Arab fleet, again with deadly effect (Dahmus, 1995). After
this time, the Byzantine navy of three hundred triremes frequently
used Greek fire against all comers (Davies, 1996). This probably represents the first documented use of the volatile derivatives of petroleum that led to a continued interest in petroleum.
Greek fire was a viscous liquid that ignited on contact with water
and was sprayed from a pump-like device on to the enemy. One can
imagine the early users of the fire attempting to ignite the liquid
before hurling it towards the enemy.
However, the hazards that can be imagined from such tactics
could become very real, and perhaps often fatal, to the users of the
Greek fire if any spillage occurred before ejecting the fire towards
the enemy. The later technology for the use of Greek fire most likely
incorporated a heat-generating chemical such as quicklime (CaO)
(Cobb and Gold white, 1995) that was suspended in the liquid and
early scientists frequently alluded to the use of bitumen. In later
times, both Christopher Columbus and Sir Walter Raleigh (depending upon the country of origin of the biographer) have been credited
with the discovery of the asphalt deposit on the island of Trinidad
and apparently used the material to caulk their ships.
The use of petroleum has also been documented in China; as
early as 600 BC, petroleum was encountered when drilling for salt
and mention of petroleum as an impurity in the salt is also noted
in documents of the third century AD (Owen, 1975). It is presumed
that the petroleum that contaminated the salt may be similar to that
found in Pennsylvania and was, therefore, a more conventional
type rather than the heavier type.
There was also an interest in the thermal product of petroleum
(nafta; naphtha) when it was discovered that this material could be
used as an illuminant and as a supplement to asphalt incendiaries
in warfare. For example, there are records of the use of mixtures of
pitch and/or naphtha with sulfur as a weapon of war during the
Battle of Palatea, Greece, in the year 429 BC (Forbes, 1959). There are
references to the use of a liquid material, naft (presumably the volatile fraction of petroleum, which we now call naphtha and is used as
a solvent or as a precursor to gasoline as an incendiary material during various battles of the pre-Christian era (James and Thorpe, 1994).
This is the so-called Greek fire, a precursor and chemical cousin to
napalm. Greek fire is also recorded as being used in the period 674
to 678 when the city of Constantinople was saved by the use of the
fire against an Arab fleet (Davies, 1996). In 717 to 718 AD, Greek fire
was again used to save the city of Constantinople from attack by
another Arab fleet, again with deadly effect (Dahmus, 1995). After
this time, the Byzantine navy of three hundred triremes frequently
used Greek fire against all comers (Davies, 1996). This probably represents the first documented use of the volatile derivatives of petroleum that led to a continued interest in petroleum.
Greek fire was a viscous liquid that ignited on contact with water
and was sprayed from a pump-like device on to the enemy. One can
imagine the early users of the fire attempting to ignite the liquid
before hurling it towards the enemy.
However, the hazards that can be imagined from such tactics
could become very real, and perhaps often fatal, to the users of the
Greek fire if any spillage occurred before ejecting the fire towards
the enemy. The later technology for the use of Greek fire most likely
incorporated a heat-generating chemical such as quicklime (CaO)
(Cobb and Gold white, 1995) that was suspended in the liquid and