363 Galilee earthquake
| Local date | May 18 and 19, 363[1] |
|---|---|
| Epicenter | 32°59′56″N 35°21′58″E / 32.999°N 35.366°E |
| Areas affected | Syria-Palaestina province of Byzantine Empire |
| Max. intensity | EMS-98 X (Very destructive)[2] |
363 Galilee earthquake — The Galilee earthquake of 363 was a pair of severe earthquakes that shook the Galilee and nearby regions on May 18 and 19.[3] The maximum perceived intensity for the events was estimated to be 'X' [very destructive][4] on the European macroseismic scale. The earthquakes occurred on the portion of the Dead Sea Transform (DST) fault system between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba.
The earthquake severely damaged Sepphoris and Petra, while destroying the Nabratein synagogue. Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate's plan to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem may have been cancelled in part due to the damage caused by the earthquake.
Impact
Sepphoris, north-northwest of Nazareth, was severely damaged. Nabratein and the Nabratein synagogue (northeast of Safed) were destroyed.[5]
In 363 CE, the pagan Roman emperor Julian ordered Alypius of Antioch to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem as part of his campaign to strengthen non-Christian religions, but the attempt was unsuccessful.[6] Early historians such as Sozomen cited the 363 Galilee earthquake as the causative agent of failure, but the death of Julian and the coming of the Christian emperor Jovian may have also played a role.[7]
Petra, in what is now Jordan, was fatally damaged.
See also
- Geography of Israel#Seismic activity
- List of historical earthquakes
- List of earthquakes in the Levant
References
- Back to citation Ferry, Matthieu; Meghraoui, Mustapha; Abou Karaki, Najib; Al-Taj, Masdouq; Khalil, Lutfi (2011). "Episodic behavior of the Jordan Valley section of the Dead Sea fault inferred from a 14-ka-long integrated catalog of large earthquakes". Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. 101 (1). Seismological Society of America: 48. Bibcode:2011BuSSA.101...39F. doi:10.1785/0120100097.
- Back to citation Sbeinati, Mohamed Reda; Darawcheh, Ryad; Mouty, Mikhail (June 2005), "The historical earthquakes of Syria – an analysis of large and moderate earthquakes from 1365 B.C. to 1900 A.D." (PDF), Annals of Geophysics, 48 (3), National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology: 407
- Back to citation Safrai, Zeev (1998). Missing Century: Palestine in the Fifth Century: Growth and Decline. Peeters Publishers. pp. 86–87. ISBN 978-9068319859.
- Back to citation Sbeinati, Mohamed Reda; Darawcheh, Ryad; Mouty, Mikhail; 2005. "The historical earthquakes of Syria – an analysis of large and moderate earthquakes from 1365 B.C. to 1900 A.D." (PDF), Annals of Geophysics, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, 48 p. 386
- Back to citation Meyers, Eric M; Strange, James F; Meyers, Carol L. (Spring 1982). "Second Preliminary Report on the 1981 Excavations at en-Nabratein, Israel". Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research (246). American Schools of Oriental Research: 35–54. doi:10.2307/1356586. JSTOR 1356586. S2CID 163892679.
- Back to citation Ammianus Marcellinus, Res Gestae, 23.1.2–3.
- Back to citation "Jewish History Sourcebook: Julian and the Jews 361–363 CE". Fordham University.
Bibliography
Sources
- Niemi, Tina M. (2009), Paleoseismology and archaeoseismology of sites in Aqaba and Petra, Jordan: Field guidebook (PDF), Geological Survey of Israel, pp. 119–124, archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-09-29
- Russell, Kenneth W. (1980), "The Earthquake of May 19, A.D. 363", Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 238 (238), American Schools of Oriental Research: 47–64, doi:10.2307/1356515, JSTOR 1356515, S2CID 163936058
External links
- Petra: The Great Earthquake from the American Museum of Natural History