| Text (with hotlink) | Original Language | Biographical Info | Religion | Date of Composition | Location Composed | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage and Chronology Reports from Textual Sources | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Fulcher of Chartres | Latin |
|
Roman Catholic | 1117 CE | Jerusalem | Fulcher of Chartres wrote that the earth trembled in Jerusalem in the night on the 26th of June in 1117 CE.
However, earlier in the passage, he described a total lunar eclipse and a full moon both of which he misdated
2-3 days too early which suggests that his date for the earthquake was also misdated 2-3 days too early.
Considering all possibilities, it appears that the earthquake struck some time between the 26th and 29th of June. Guidoboni and Comastri (2005) locate this earthquake in the vicinity of Scandelion Castle (12 km. from Tyre) due a report of repairs to the Castle immediately after Fulcher of Chartres described the earthquake. Ambraseys (2009) locates the seismic shaking in Jerusalem where Fulcher was living when he wrote the passage. It is not entirely clear whether Fulcher was an eyewitness to this earthquake. |
| Secunda pars historiae Iherosolimitane | Latin |
|
Roman Catholic | third quarter of the 12th c. | Secunda pars historiae Iherosolimitane reports that a terrible earthquakewas experienced in Jerusalem on 26 June 1117 CE where buildings were so shaken that they collapsed. The entire passage in Secunda pars is very similar to the passage by Fulcher of Chartres and appears to be sourced from it. Guidoboni and Comastri (2005) wrote that Secunda pars is traditionally considered to be a sort of epitome of the workof Fulcher of Chartres. Thus, if Fulcher of Chartres misdated the earthquake, Secunda pars probably misdated it too. Hence, as with Fulcher, the date of the earthquake described in Secunda pars is constrained between the dates of 26 and 29 June 1117 CE. |
|
| Chronicon by Bar Hebraeus | Syriac |
|
Syriac Orthodox Church | 13th century CE | Jazira ? Persia ? | Bar Habraeus reports that a violent earthquaketook place at an unspecified location which he variously dated to A.H. 511 (5 May 1117 - 23 April 1118 CE) and/or A.G. 1429 (1 Oct. 1117 to 30 Sept. 1118 CE). He also related that a number of Kings died around this time. |
| Text (with hotlink) | Original Language | Biographical Info | Religion | Date of Composition | Location Composed | Notes |
| Location (with hotlink) | Status | Intensity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jerusalem - Introduction | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Jerusalem's City Walls | possible | Weksler-Bdolah in Galor and Avni (2011:421-423) presented historical evidence and limited archaeological evidence which indicates that Jerusalem's city walls were reconstructed in the late 10th - early 11th century CE - possibly partly in response to seismic damage. | |
| Tiberias - Introduction | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Tiberias - Mount Berineke | possible | Archaeoseismic Evidence from the church on top of Mount Berineke is undated ( Ferrario et al, 2014) | |
| Tiberias - Basilica | possible | ≥ 8 | End of Phase II earthquake - 11th century CE - Hirschfeld and Meir (2004) noted that Stratum I was
built above the collapse [of Stratum II] caused by an earthquake.Stratum I was dated to the 11th century CE while stratum II was dated to the 9th-10th centuries CE. |
| Tiberias - House of the Bronzes | possible | End of Stratum II Earthquake - 11th-12th century CE - Hirschfeld Gutfeld (2008) proposed that debris on top of Stratum II indicates that Stratum II was terminated by an earthquake. Stratum II was dated from the 10th - 11th centuries CE. Overlying Stratum I was dated from the 12th-14th centuries CE. | |
| Tiberias - Gane Hammat | possible | ≥ 8 | End of Phase IIb destruction layer - ~11th century CE -
Onn and Weksler-Bdolah (2016) wrote the following about the end of Phase IIb
All of the buildings were destroyed at the end of Phase IIb, probably by the strong earthquake that struck the region in 1033/4 [i.e., the 11th century CE Palestine Quakes]; both historical sources and the remains in other cities attest to this event. Following the earthquake, some of the buildings were left in ruins, but others were rebuilt. The buildings in Area A, for example, was never restored: the columns that had collapsed in the earthquake were discovered toppled on the floors of the courtyards belonging to the Phase IIb building. |
| Umm el-Qanatir | possible | ≥ 8 | 2nd Earthquake - undated - Wechsler et al (2008) report a collapse layer in a makeshift house that was built inside an abandoned synagogue that was likely seismically damaged from one of the Sabbatical Year Quakes (the Holy Desert Quake). The collapse layer from the makeshift house is not dated. |
| Kedesh | possible | ≥ 8 | The Roman Temple at Kedesh exhibits archaeoseismic effects and appears to have been abandoned in the 4th century CE; possibly due to the northern Cyril Quake of 363 CE. Archaeoseismic evidence at the site could be due to 363 CE and/or other earthquakes in the ensuing ~1600 years. See Fischer et al (1984) and Schweppe et al (2017) |
| Jericho - Introduction | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Jericho - Hisham's Palace | possible | ≥ 8 9-10 |
Later Earthquake -
Alfonsi et al (2013) dated the causitive earthquake for the major seismic destruction at Hisham's Palace to the earthquake of 1033 CE unlike previous
researchers who dated it to one of the Sabbatical Year earthquakes. Their discussion is reproduced below:
The archaeological data testify to an uninterrupted occupancy from eighth century until 1000 A.D. of the Hisham palace (Whitcomb, 1988). Therefore, if earthquakes occurred in this time period, the effects should not have implied a total destruction with consequent occupancy contraction or abandonment. Toppled walls and columns in the central court cover debris containing 750-850 A.D. old ceramic shards (Whitcomb, 1988). Recently unearthed collapses north of the court confirm a widespread destruction after the eighth century (Jericho Mafjar Project - The Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago). These elements support the action of a destructive shaking event at the site later than the 749 A.D. earthquake. The two well-constrained, major historical earthquakes recognized in the southern Jordan Valley are the 749 and 1033 A.D. (Table 1; Marco et al (2003); Guidoboni and Comastri, 2005). We assign an IX—X intensity degree to the here-recorded Hisham damage, whereas a VII degree has been attributed to the 749 A.D. earthquake at the site (Marco et al, 2003). Furthermore, Whitcomb (1988) defines an increment of occupation of the palace between 900 and 1000 A.D. followed by a successive occupation in the 1200-1400 A.D. time span. On the basis of the above, and because no pottery remains are instead associated with the 1000-1200 A.D. period at Hisham palace (Whitcomb, 1988), we suggest a temporary, significant contraction or abandonment of the site as consequence of a severe destruction in the eleventh century. |
| Mishmar David | possible | ≥ 6 or ≥ 7 | End of Stratum V Earthquake - 11th century CE - Yannai (2014) noted that an immense building in Stratum V of Area B
was damaged, possibly in another earthquake, either that of 1033 or of 1068 CE. Yannai (2014) noted that Stratum V buildings [in Sub-Area C1] were destroyed by a second earthquake, either the one that struck in 1033 or that of 1068 CE. |
| Ramat Rahel | possible | ≥ 8 | 10th-11th century CE collapse - In The Tel Aviv - Heidelberg Joint Project - The 2006 and 2007 seasons at Ramat Rahel
mention is made of a 10th-11th century collapse in Area D1
A massive stone collapse had covered the floors of the different architectural units. The many broken pottery vessels date the collapse of the building to the Abbasid period or to the beginning of the Fatimid period (10th–11th century CE) |
| Beit-Ras/Capitolias | possible | Later Earthquakes -
Al-Tawalbeh et. al. (2020:14) discussed archaeoseismic evidence for later post abandonment earthquakes
We believe that filling up the cavea and orchestra of the theater happened parallel with the construction of the enclosing wall that essentially put all of the remaining building underground. Underground facilities are significantly less vulnerable to seismic excitation than that above-ground buildings (Hashash et aL, 2001). Understandably, when each wall and arch are supported by embedding sediment (dump in Beit-Ras), the observed deformations of the excavated theater mostly cannot develop unless unsupported. Therefore, evidence of damage due to any subsequent events, such as A.D. 551, 634, 659, and 749, cannot be observed, because the possibility of collapse of buried structures is not plausible. However, potential collapse of other above-ground structures within the site of Beit-Ras cannot be ignored, such as the upper elements of the theater's structures, which were still exposed after the filling of the theater with debris. Several observations indicated that many collapsed elements of the upper parts of the theater were mixed with the debris, as documented in excavation reports by Al-Shami (2003, 2004). Another example suggesting the effect of the later events, such as that of A.D. 749. Mlynarczyk (2017) attributed the collapse of some sections of the city wall of Beit-Ras to this event, based on the concentration of collapsed ashlars and the age of collected pottery from two trenches excavated to the west of the theater structure.Al-Tawalbeh et. al. (2020:6) also noted the following about the eastern orchestra gate: The basalt masonry in the upper left suggests a later local collapse and repair phase, where the basalt courses are overlaying the marly-chalky limestone to the left of the walled arched eastern gate. |
|
| Petra - Introduction | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Petra - Jabal Harun | possible | ≥ 8 | Phase 12 destruction event - not well dated -
Mikkola et al (2008) noted that in this destruction event all remaining roof structures collapsed and there was a layer of stone tumble. Hard-packed, clayey soil directly under the lowermost deposits of stone tumble [...] contained relatively few findsapparently making it difficult to date. Also found in the stone tumble were the remains of two fallen arches, a row of voussoirs, some drums fallen froma column, and many other architectural elements found throughout the complex. |
| Petra - Petra Church | possible | ≥ 8 | Fiema et al (2001) characterized structural destruction of the church in Phase X as likely caused by an
earthquake with a date that is not easy to determine. A very general terminus post quemof the early 7th century CE was provided. Destruction due to a second earthquake was identified in Phase XIIA which was dated from late Umayyad to early Ottoman. Taken together this suggests that the first earthquake struck in the 7th or 8th century CE and the second struck between the 8th and 16th or 17th century CE. |
| Petra - Blue Chapel and the Ridge Church | possible | Later undated earthquake(s)- Perry in Bikai et al (2020:70) noted that from the 8th c. A.D. on, the abandoned structures suffered extensive damage from repeated earthquakes. |
|
| Location (with hotlink) | Status | Intensity | Notes |
| Location (with hotlink) | Status | Intensity | Notes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Valley - Tell Saidiyeh and Ghor Kabed Trenches | possible | ≥ 7 | Ferry et al (2011) detected 12 surface rupturing seismic events in 4 trenches (T1-T4) in Tell Saidiyeh and Ghor Kabed; 10 of which were prehistoric. The tightest chronology came from the Ghor Kabed trenches (T1 and T2) where Events Y and Z were constrained to between 560 and 1800 CE. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dead Sea - Seismite Types | n/a | n/a | n/a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dead Sea - En Feshka | possible | 8.1 - 8.9 (40 cm.) 8.0 - 8.8 (48 cm.) 7.9 - 8.8 (66 cm.) |
Kagan et. al. (2011)
identified several seismites from around this time.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dead Sea - En Gedi | possible | Migowski et a. (2004) dated a 0.8 cm. thick Type 1 seismite at a depth 1.23 m to 1114 CE. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dead Sea - Nahal Ze 'elim | no evidence | At site ZA-2, Kagan et. al. (2011) did not find any seismites which dated to around the time of the 1117 CE Quake. At site ZA-1, Ken-Tor et. al. (2001a) did not find any seismites which dated to around the time of the 1117 CE Quake. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Araba - Introduction | n/a | n/a | n/a | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Araba - Qasr Tilah | possible | ≥ 7 | Haynes et. al. 2006) assigned Event II, which struck between the 7th and 12th centuries CE, to one of the 1068 CE Quakes. They dated the next older event (Event III), which struck between the 7th and 12th centuries CE, to the Crash Quake of 873 CE which is very likely an incorrect assignment (one of the 11th century CE Palestine Quakes of 1033/4 CE is a better candidate). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Araba - Taybeh Trench | possible | ≥ 7 | Lefevre et. al. (2018) assigned Event E3 Supp (aka E3bis), with modeled ages between 819 and 1395 CE, to the 1293 CE Quake whose epicenter appears to have been close to the Taybeh Trench. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location (with hotlink) | Status | Intensity | Notes |