600?-700? Syrian Architect and Inventor Callinicus (also spelled Kallinikos) was born in the Syrian city of Heliopolis sometime in the seventh century. Little is known regarding his life, and if it were not for one significant invention, he would have...

Because wood was a primary building material for structures and boats in the ancient world, incendiary devices were often used in warfare. Perhaps the most famous of all these devices was Greek fire. It was first invented by Callinicus (c. 620-?), an...

For the 2007 series of fires, see 2007 Greek forest...

Wildfires burned homes Thursday and forced the evacuations of villages, a convent and a children's camp in southern Greece, as a heat wave swept across southeastern Europe.Greece's Fire Service reported 115 fires in a 24-hour period as temperatures reached 102 degrees in some spots.Residents of...

Firefighters backed by aircraft dropped water and foam on the birthplace of the ancient Olympics Sunday to stop wildfires from burning the 2,800-year-old ruins, one of the most revered sites of antiquity.But the fires burning for three straight days obliterated vast swathes of the country...

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso toured fire-damaged southern Greece by helicopter Saturday and promised aid for areas where 64 people died and an estimated 469,000 acres of mostly forest and farmland were destroyed.Though largely contained, fires forced the evacuation of two villages and the...

Promises of aid poured in from around Greece and overseas Friday as firefighters doused most of the huge wildfires that ravaged the Greek countryside for a week, killing 64 people.The European Union said Greece would probably receive $237 million in emergency aid and could be...