Re: Historical Events Database
Today we have a marvelous story from GoT, closing chapters of his Xth book.
In the sixteenth year of King Childebert's reign (591) and the thirtieth year of King Guntram's, a Bishop called Simon travelled to Tours from foreign parts. He gave us news of the overthrow of Antioch and described how he himself had been led away captive from Armenia into Persia.
The King of the Persians had invaded Armenia, sacking the country, burning down the churches and, as I have said, taking this Bishop away into captivity with his flock. It was on this occasion that they had tried to burn down the church of the Forty-eight Saints and Martyrs, who met their death in that region, as I have described in my Book of Miracles. They piled the church high with heaps of wood soaked in pitch and pigs' fat, and then set blazing torches to it. Despite all their efforts this inflammable material would not catch fire, and when they saw this miracle performed by God they left the church. One of his fellow-prelates came to hear of how Bishop Simon had been led of into captivity, and he sent his men with ransom-money to the King of the Persians. The King accepted the ransom, unchained Simon and released him from slavery. The Bishop then left that region and travelled to Gaul, where he sought help from the faithful. That was how he came to tell me his story, just as I have set it down above.
In Antioch there lived a man who had a wife and children, who who was much given to acts of charity. In all his life no day passed, from the time when he first had some property of his own that is, without his inviting a poor man in to eat at his table. One day he searched the whole city until nightfall without finding a single needy person whom he could invite to share his meal.
As darkness began to fall he went outside the city gate, and there he saw a man in a white robe who was standing with two other men. As he looked at him he was filled with awe, just like Lot in the tale of long ago. 'My lord,' he said, 'you seem to be a stranger here. Would you care to come to my humble home and have a meal with me and then retire to bed to rest? In the morning you can go on your way, wherever you wish.'
The oldest of the three men, who held a cloth in his hand, gave him the following answer: 'Were you not able then, O man of God, even with the help of Simeon, {Saint Simeon the Stylite} to save this city from destruction?' He raised his hand and waved the cloth which he was holding over one half of the town. Immediately all the buildings came crashing to the ground and nothing at all was left standing. Old men and young children were crushed to death, hundreds were killed with their wives, men and women together.
When he saw this the man was so dazed by the presence of the stranger and by the din made by the houses as they collapsed that he fell to the ground as if he were dead. The stranger raised the hand in which he held the cloth and was about to wave it over the other half of the town, but he was stopped by the two companions who stood at his side. They begged him with terrible oaths to spare this second half from destruction. His fury abated and he stayed his hand.
He picked up the man who had fallen to the ground and said to him: 'Go home. You have no reason to fear. Your sons are safe and so is your wife. None of them has perished, and your household, too, is unharmed. You have been saved by your habit of praying regularly and by your daily acts of charity to the poor.' As he said this, he and his companions disappeared from the man's sight and they were never seen again.
The man went back into the town. Half of it he found completely destroyed and overthrown, together with the inhabitants and their flocks. Later on many of them were taken out of the ruins dead, those few who were still alive being badly hurt. The promises made by the Angel of the Lord, if I may call him that, were fulfilled... The right hand of the Lord had protected him and all his household in the midst of the unrighteous, and he was saved from the peril of death, just as they tell of Lot in Sodom long ago. (X.24)
Now, the footnote in my translation of GoT tells us: "Antioch was captured and partially destroyed in 573 by Adarmaanes, the general of Chosroes. Since Bishop Simon was allegedly telling the story in 591, it was almost 20 years after the event."
The problem is in the account of the earthquake which the translator assures us is the earthquake of 589. It bears strong hints of the Earthquake of 526 (notice the references to Lot and Sodom) which John Lewis believes was a Tunguska-like event.
So, let’s assemble a little timeline with a few details from the various historical/analytical sources. I’m expanding the net just in case there are multiplications of events (good thing, too, as we will see!)
37 AD: An earthquake that shook Antioch in AD 37 caused the emperor Caligula to send two senators to report on the condition of the city. (Emperor from 37 to 41)
WP sez: “Another quake followed in the next reign.” The next reign was Claudius - 41 to 54 AD - but I can’t track down this other earthquake. However, the destruction of Jerusalem was in 70 AD and that may very well have been an earthquake/Tunguska like event.
115 AD: when Trajan was present during his war against Parthia, it is said that the whole region was convulsed by an earthquake. The landscape altered, and the emperor himself was forced to take shelter in the circus for several days. According to the collected info, the 115 Antioch earthquake occurred on 13 December 115 AD. It had an estimated magnitude of 7.5 on the surface wave magnitude scale and an estimated maximum intensity of XI (extreme) on the Mercalli intensity scale. Antioch and surrounding areas were devastated with a great loss of life and property. It triggered a local tsunami that badly damaged the harbour at Caesarea Maritima. The Roman Emperor Trajan was caught in the earthquake, as was his successor Hadrian. They escaped with only slight injuries and later began a program to rebuild the city.
An account of the earthquake was included by the writer Cassius Dio {AD 155 – 235} in his Roman History.
He describes Antioch at that time as crowded with soldiers and many civilians that had travelled from all parts of the empire, because Trajan was overwintering there. The earthquake began with a loud roaring sound, followed by intense shaking of the ground. Whole trees were thrown into the air, as were many of the inhabitants, causing great injury. Large numbers of people were killed by falling debris, while many others were trapped. The aftershocks that followed the earthquake for several days killed some of the survivors, while others that were trapped died of hunger. Trajan managed to get clear of the house he was staying in by leaving through a window and only suffered minor injuries. Because of the danger from aftershocks, he moved with his retinue to the open hippodrome.
The city of Apamea was also destroyed by the earthquake and
Beirut suffered significant damage. The
tsunami triggered by the earthquake affected the Lebanese coast, particularly at Caeserea and Yavneh. The harbour at Caeserea Maritima was probably destroyed by the tsunami, an interpretation based on the dating of
a half metre thick tsunami deposit found outside the harbour.
The origin of the reported death toll of 260,000 is uncertain, as it only appears in catalogues of about the last hundred years.
Now, the problem with the 115 earthquake is this: Geophysicist, Amos Nur, has studied the lake “seismites” in the Dead Sea and has found no evidence of an earthquake around 115 AD.
With the mention of the tsunami, let's just toss that one in here:
365 AD:
The AD 365 Crete earthquake was an undersea earthquake that occurred at about sunrise on 21 July 365 in the Eastern Mediterranean, with an assumed epicentre near Crete. Geologists today estimate the quake to have been a magnitude eight or higher, causing widespread destruction in central and southern Greece, northern Libya, Egypt, Cyprus, and Sicily. In Crete, nearly all towns were destroyed.
The Crete earthquake was followed by a tsunami which devastated the southern and eastern coasts of the Mediterranean, particularly Libya, Alexandria and the Nile Delta, killing thousands and hurling ships 3 km (1.9 mi) inland. The quake left a deep impression on the late antique mind, and numerous writers of the time referred in their works to the event.
SOoooo… let’s take a look at that most famous of earthquakes in Antioch:
526 – May 20-29: Earthquake . Antioch, Dafneh, Seluecea, Aftershocks. Liquefaction at Antioch. Fire in Antioch.
Sources
- Malalas
John of Ephesus
Procopius of Caesarea
Evagrius Scholasticus
Chronicle of Edessa
Zachariah of Mitylene
John Lydus
Count Marcellinus
John of Nikiu
Theophanes
Chronicle of 819
George the Monk
Leo the Grammarian
George Cedrenus
Michael the Syrian
Chronicle of 1234
Etc.
The 526 Antioch earthquake struck during late May, probably between May 20–29, at mid-morning, killing approximately 250,000 people. The earthquake was followed by a fire that destroyed most of the buildings left standing by the earthquake. The maximum intensity in Antioch is estimated to be between VIII (destructive) and IX (violent) on the Mercalli intensity scale.
It was followed by 18 months of aftershocks.[ Intensity estimates on the Mercalli scale are: VIII-IX for Antioch; VII for both Daphne, a suburb of Antioch, and the port town of Seleucia Pieria.
The earthquake caused severe damage to many of the buildings in Antioch, including Constantine's great octagonal church Domus Aurea built on an island in the Orontes River. Only houses built close to the mountain are said to have survived. Most of the damage however, was a result of the fires that went on for many days in the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, made worse by the wind. The Great Church was destroyed by the fire seven days after the earthquake. Amongst the many victims was Euphrasius the Patriarch of Antioch, who died by falling into a cauldron of pitch being used by wineskin makers, with only his head remaining unburnt.
In the port of Seleucia Pieria an uplift of 0.7–0.8 m has been estimated, and the subsequent silting up of the harbour left it unusable.
Estimates of the death toll for this earthquake vary between 250,000 and 300,000, with 250,000 being the most commonly reported.
It has been suggested that the very high number of casualties was a result of there being a large number of visitors in the city from the surrounding countryside, there to celebrate Ascension Day.
In Constantinople, Justin I reportedly reacted to the news of the earthquake by removing his diadem and crimson chlamys. He entered the church without these symbols of his rank and publicly lamented the destruction of Antioch. He arranged for ambassadors to be sent to the city with sufficient money for both immediate relief and to start Antioch's reconstruction. Many of the buildings erected after the earthquake were destroyed by another major earthquake in November 528, although there were far fewer casualties.
The 526 earthquake of Antioch sounds an awful lot like the alleged earthquake of 115 AD so one wonders if it happened in either place at either of those times OR, if it actually describes what happened in Rome/Italy?
Next, the alleged earthquake in Antioch two years later:
528 – November 29, Earthquake, Antioch, Lattakia
Sources:
- Malalas
John of Ephesus
Evagrius Scholasticus
Theophanes
George the Monk
Leo the Grammarian
George Cedrenus
Chronicle of 1234
Nicephorus Callistus
Saadeh
Etc.
531-34 – Malalas mentions another “great earthquake” at Antioch but “without damage.” Why did he mention it at all?
Sources:
In 532, Khosrau and Justinian, emperor of the Eastern Roman/Byzantine Empire concluded Pax Perpetuum, or the Eternal Peace in hopes of settling all land disputes between the Romans and Sassanians.
In 540, Khosrau broke the Pax Perpetuum and struck Mesopotamia and Syria. He then moved out to Antioch. The walls of Antioch had been greatly damaged during an earthquake in 525–526, and the Romans had not since repaired them because of western military campaigns, which made it much easier to conquer. Khosrau sacked and burned the city at which point Justinian sued for peace, giving Khosrau a large amount of money. While traveling back to Persia, Khosrau took ransoms from multiple Byzantine towns at which point Justinian called off his truce and prepared to send his great commander Belisarius to move against the Sassanians.
551 July 9 Earthquake, Beirut, Tsunami etc. By now, one wonders if this Beirut earthquake was involved in the ocean impact that “flooded Rome”???
Sources
- Malalas
Theophanes
George the Monk
George Cedrenus
Antoninus of Piacenza
John of Ephesus
Agathias
Etc.
Here is a WP description of the event:
The 551 Beirut earthquake occurred on 9 July 551 AD. It had an estimated magnitude of about 7.6 on the moment magnitude scale and a maximum felt intensity of X (Intense) on the Mercalli intensity scale. It triggered a devastating tsunami which affected the coastal towns of Phoenicia, causing great destruction and sinking many ships. Overall large numbers of people were reported killed, with one estimate of 30,000 by Antoninus of Piacenza for Beirut alone.
There is little in the way of detailed descriptions of the damage caused by this earthquake in contemporary accounts. Sources refer to the coastal cities from Tyre to Tripoli being reduced to ruins with many thousands of casualties. Antoninus of Piacenza reported that 30,000 people died in Beirut alone. The tsunami affected the whole of the coast from Tyre to Tripoli. Withdrawal of the sea by up to two miles was recorded in some contemporary accounts.
Reports of damage at Petra and other locations in the Jordan Valley associated with the 551 event have been re-analyzed, suggesting that a later earthquake was more likely to be responsible.
565-571 Earthquake Antioch, Seleucea, Killkia, Anazrabo, Orfa
Sources:
- Procopius
Theophanes
George Cedrenus
Majes of Edessa
Elias of Nisibis
Chronicle of 724
Chronicle of 1234
Etc
580-581 Earthquake, Antioch, Dafneh
Sources:
- Evagrius Scholasticus
Nicephorus Callistus
Agapius of Menbij
We come now to the earthquake that is suggested as the one that our Bishop Simon has told GoT about:
588 – Earthquake, Antioch, Aftershocks.
Sources:
- Evagrius Scholasticus was an eyewitness. There was an earthquake with a big sound at Antioch. Many buildings fell down. … Large number of persons killed. No fire.
John of Nikiu – During reign of the Emperor Maurice
Agapius: The big churches were destroyed as well as most of the city wall, trade square and houses.
Nicephorus Callistus: Same as Evagrius.
Plassard and Kogoj (1981) date the earthquake to October 21 or 31, 589. Poirier and Taher (1980) date it to 588
Suggested that there were 60K victims.
It seems that the witness of Evagrius is good, but as noted above, we notice elements of the 115 and 526 earthquakes hinted at in the account of Gregory, particularly with the "great noise" and the references to Lot and Sodom (fire fell from heaven). So the conclusion is, whoever was writing Gregory of Tours, whether there was a real Gregory and/or a later redactor, they certainly knew the content of Eastern chronicles.
Of course, pulling on this thread has just opened up a whole can of worms in regard to the 115 earthquake which apparently didn't happen in 115, and the copycat earthquake of 526.
Oy.
Some sources:
Menander Protector. Fragments 6.1-6.3. Translated by R.C. Blockey, edited by Khodadad Rezakhani.
Joshua the Stylite, The Chronicle of Joshua the Sylite, tr. J Watt and F.
Trombley,Liverpool,2000.
Malalas, Chronographia, tr. E. and M. Jeffreys and R Scott, Melbourne 1986.
Menander Protector. History of Menander the Guardsman, tr. R. C. Blockley, Liverpool, 1985.
Procopius, Wars, translated by H. B. Dewing, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press,1914-1928.
Casio Dio, Roman History, Book LXVIII, Section 24-25, description of the Antioch earthquake.
Sbeinati, M.R.; Darawcheh, R. & Mouty, M. (2005). "The historical earthquakes of Syria: an analysis of large and moderate earthquakes from 1365 B.C. to 1900 A.D.". Annals of Geophysics 48 (3): 347–435.
Reinhardt, E.G.; Goodman B.N., Boyce J.I., Lopez G., van Hengstum P., Rinnk W.J., Mart Y. & Raban A. (2006). "The tsunami of 13 December A.D. 115 and the destruction of Herod the Great's harbor at Caeserea Maritima, Israel". Geology (Geological Society of America) 34 (12): 1061–1064.
Musson, R. (7 March 2001). "The ten deadliest ever earthquakes". British Geological Survey.
Sbeinati, M.R.; Darawcheh, R. & Mouty, M. (2005). "The historical earthquakes of Syria: an analysis of large and moderate earthquakes from 1365 B.C. to 1900 A.D.". Annals of Geophysics 48 (3): 347–435.
Witakowski, W. (1996). Chronicle: known also as the Chronicle of Zuqnin, Part 3. Translated texts for historians 22. Liverpool University Press. pp. 46–47.
Erol, O. & Pirazzoli, P.A. 2007. Seleucia Pieria: an ancient harbour submitted to two successive uplifts. International Journal of Nautical Archaeology, 21, 317-327.
Meier, M. (2007). "Natural Disasters in the Chronographia of John Malalas : Reflections on their Function --An Initial Sketch". The Medieval History Journal 10 (1-2): 237–266.
Andrade, N.J. (2009). "The Syriac life of John of Tella and the frontier Politeia". Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies 12 (2): 199–234.