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The Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake(s)

~142 BCE

by Jefferson Williams








Introduction & Summary

In the middle of the 2nd century BCE, the Seleucid Empire experienced a power struggle between competing monarchs. Two generals, Sarpedon and Diodotus Tryphon, led their troops into battle at Dor. As Tryphon’s army marched up the Phoenician coast1, a tsunami is reported to have struck and drowned parts of the army; leaving a scene of Dead Fish and Soldiers in its wake. This tsunami appears to be reported from an earlier lost source - Posidonius (~135 BC – ~ 51 BC). It was repeated by Strabo in Geographicum and Athenaeus of Naucratis in The Deipnosophistae. Both accounts are similar; differing slightly on location. Athenaeus wrote that the tsunami struck near Akko and Strabo wrote that it struck between Akko and Tyre. Athenaeus and Strabo do not explicitly mention that the tsunami was caused by or accompanied by an earthquake however, after describing the tsunami, Strabo speculates that the earth moved up or down to create the displacement of water, perhaps hinting that this tsunami was accompanied by some type of earthquake report by Posidonius or others.

The exact date of this supposed earthquake is difficult to ascertain. Strabo and Athenaeus of Naucratis indicate that the earthquake struck soon after the battle at Dor, but this battle is difficult to date. Ambraseys (2009) noted that this battle probably took place about six years after Alexander Balas’ death in 145 BC (Clinton 1830, v, 327) which leads to a date of 139 BCE. However, Ambraseys (2009) also noted that the sequence of events for the years following Alexander’s death would put the event between 138 and 125 BC (Pauly.W iv, 2, col. 2800). Karcz (2004) constrained the date of the battle to between the start of Diodotus Tryphon's mutiny in 145/144 BCE and his suicide in 138/137 BCE. Karcz (2004) added that if the Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake and the Seventeenth of Adar Quake are the same event, the Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake would likely have struck in 143/142 BCE when the Hasmonean King Jonathan campaigned against the Zabadeans (1 Maccabees 12:30) while still an ally of Diodotus Tryphon. Triantafyllou et al. (2022:8) proposed that this earthquake struck between 138 and 135 BCE however this tighter window was based on selective reading of John of Antioch - which is a chronologically unreliable source (in the extreme) for this particular earthquake. Based on this, the tight time window of Triantafyllou et al. (2022:8) is unrealistic. Guidoboni et al. (1994) did not include this event in their catalog.

There may be well dated corroborating archaeoseismic evidence for an earthquake in ~142 BCE at Tel Ateret. Paleoseismic evidence uncovered at several Dead Sea sites indicates that a powerful earthquake (or two) struck that area in the middle of the 2nd century BCE. Because an earthquake on the Phoenician coast seems too far away to have generated such thick and brecciated Dead Sea seismites, its seems that an earthquake couplet could be at play where a southern quake induced a northern quake or vice-versa. The seismites thicken towards the south and there is additional paleoseismic evidence from the Taybeh trench in the Araba suggesting an epicenter in the southern Dead Sea or the northern Araba. Mass transport deposits from the Gulf of Aqaba were also dated to around this time.

It is possible that Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake, the Malalas Confusion Quake, the Seventeenth of Adar Quake and/or the Posidonius Quake could be the same event. Some of these possibilities are discussed below in the Conflation Possibilities entry in the Textual Evidence section.

Josephus in The Jewish War Book 1 apparently discusses Diodotus Tryphon who he calls Trypho and a battle at Dor.
Footnotes

1 According to Athenaeus of Naucratis, Diodotus Tryphon won the battle. According to Josephus (if Josephus is describing the same battle), Diodotus Tryphon lost the battle. According to Strabo, it appears that Diodotus Tryphon lost the battle. According to Athenaeus of Naucratis and Strabo, it appears that Diodotus Tryphon's army suffered due to the tsunami.

Textual Evidence

Text (with hotlink) Original Language Biographical Info Religion Date of Composition Location Composed Notes
Geographicum by Strabo possibly based on Posidonius Greek - Strabo
Greek - Posidonius
Biography - Strabo

Biography - Posidonius

Strabo - 7 BCE - ~23 CE
Posidonius - before c. 51 BCE		 Strabo - Amaseia in Pontus with some sections perhaps written at other locations.
Posidonius - Rhodes		 reports sea wave flooding between Tyre and Acre (aka Ptolemais). The account described a wave from the sea, like a flood-tide, submerged the fugitives; and some were carried off into the sea and destroyed, whereas others were left dead in the hollow places; and then, succeeding this wave, the ebb uncovered the shore again and disclosed the bodies of men lying promiscuously among dead fish while noting that like occurrences take place in the neighborhood of the Mt. Casius situated near Aegypt, where the land undergoes a single quick convulsion, and makes a sudden change to a higher or lower level, the result being that, whereas the elevated part repels the sea and the sunken part receives it
The Deipnosophistae by Athenaeus of Naucratis citing Posidonius Greek - Athenaeus
Greek - Posidonius
Biography - Athenaeus

Biography - Posidonius

Athenaeus - end of the 2nd/beginning of the 3rd century BCE
Posidonius - before c. 51 BCE		 Athenaeus - ?
Posidonius - Rhodes		 The Deipnosophistae cites Posidonius in stating that suddenly a wave from the ocean lifted itself to an extraordinary height and dashed upon the shore, engulfing all the men and drowning them beneath the waters. And when the wave receded it left behind a huge pile of fishes among the dead bodies.
The Jewish War by Josephus Greek, possibly translated from an earlier version in Aramaic
Biography

Jewish about 75 CE Rome and ? Background information - Josephus Flavius recounted when Maccabean general Simon assisted Seleucid Emperor Antiochus VII Sidetes in, apparently successfully, sieging Dor against the Seleucid usurper Diodotus Tryphon (referred to as Trypho by Josephus).
Historia Chronike by John of Antioch Greek
Biography - John of Antioch

Christian - possibly Syrian Orthodox (Wikipedia citing Heinrich Gelzer's 3 volume edition Sextus Julius Africanus und die Byzantinische Chronographie, 1898 ?: v. ? p.41) beginning of Heraclius (r. 610-648 CE)' reign as suggested by Roberto (2016:271) Antioch? In a chronologically inconsistent passage, John of Antioch relates that a great earthquake happened in the East and a countless number of Syrians perished while the city of Tyre on the coast was submerged into the sea and a comet shone for several days. It is unclear from the passage whether, he is referring to the Posidonius Quake, the Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake, is conflating both earthquakes together, or is referring to a separate event. It is possible that the Posidonius Quake and the Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake were the same event.
The First Mithridates Comet and the Date of the Earthquake
The First Mithridates Comet

Triantafyllou et al. (2022:8) suggest that the comet mentioned by John of Antioch as occurring more or less coincident with the earthquake and tsunami was the first "Mithridates Comet".

a great earthquake happened in the East and a countless number of Syrians perished; the city of Tyre on the coast was submerged into the sea and a comet shone for several days, announcing to him [Antiochus [IX] surnamed Kyzikenos [r. 129 or 116 to 96 BCE] his death.
Dates for this comet by various catalogers are listed below:
Yoke (1962) and Seargent (2008:69-71) suggest that the Chinese catalogs which list comets in ~September 135 BCE and ~September 134 BCE are a repeat of the same event and that the correct date should be ~September 135 BCE. If we consider all possibilities, it may be best to date the comet to the Late Summer/Early Fall of 134 or 135 BCE. Triantafyllou et al. (2022:8) suggest that the appearance of the comet provides a terminus ante quem for the earthquake and tsunami.

Triantafyllou et al. (2022:8) further suggest that a battle at Dor between and Diodotus Tryphon and Sarpedon (Demetrius's general) provides a terminus post quem - since the earthquake and tsunami described in Strabo and Athenaeus of Naucratis' accounts occurs soon after the battle. Although Triantafyllou et al. (2022:8) date the battle at Dor to 138 BCE (based on a webpage at Livius.org), to my knowledge the date of this battle is not so well established and 138 BCE should be considered approximate. Karcz (2004) suggest the battle occurred between 145/144 and 138/137 BCE.

Unfortunately, John of Antioch's account is riddled with chronological inconsistencies which makes it hard to establish that the comet mentioned as occurring more or less at the same time as the earthquake and tsunami provides a reliable terminus ante quem. One glaring problem is that John of Antioch states that the comet was a portent of Antiochus [IX] surnamed Kyzikenos' death which is dated to 96 BCE - roughly 40 years after the appearance of the first Mithridates Comet. Triantafyllou et al. (2022:8) suggest that John of Antioch, writing 700+ years after this event, named the wrong Seleucid Emperor and should have named Antiochus VII Euergetes, nicknamed Sidetes [r. 138-129 BCE] instead. If this is the case, the The First Mithridates Comet (135/134 BCE) would have appeared about half a decade before Antiochus VII Euergetes, nicknamed Sidetes' death (129 BCE). This seems a reasonable supposition as the histories of this time period appear to be riddled with mistakes in assigning the correct Seleucid Emperor to the events various ancient historians are writing about (e.g. Malalas).

However, the possibility that John of Antioch named the wrong Seleucid Emperor is not the only chronological inconsistency in his account. John goes on to state that the next Seleucid Emperor was Philip. In this case, John of Antioch is clearly referring to Philip II Philoromaeus [r. 65-64 BCE] as John names him as the last Seleucid King after which Syria was declared a Roman Province in 63 BCE - 70+ years after the appearance First Mithridates Comet.

In fact, John of Antioch's account contains so many chronological inconsistencies that it is best characterized as being consistently inconsistent. Given that, the most likely historiographic date for the Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake has to be derived from the date of the battle at Dor which may have occurred between 145 and 137 BCE.

Conflation Possibilities - The Dead Fish and Soldiers, Malalas Confusion, and the Seventeenth of Adar Quakes
Text (with hotlink) Original Language Biographical Info Religion Date of Composition Location Composed Notes
Geographicum by Strabo

Background and Biography

Biography - Posidonius

Biography - Strabo

Excerpts

Strabo (~ 64 BCE – ~ 24 CE), in his book Geographicum, possibly using Posidonius (~135 BCE – ~ 51 BCE) as his source (Kidd,1988:40), reports sea wave flooding between Tyre and Acre (aka Ptolemais). Although he does not specifically cite an earthquake as the cause of the sea wave, he speculates that ground movement may have caused the sea wave comparing this event to another possible earthquake and tsunami reported in ~20 BC near Mount Casius (aka Cassium) in Egypt.
English from Jones and Sterrett (1916)

A marvellous occurrence of a very rare kind is reported as having taken place on this shore between Tyre and Ptolemaïs: at the time when the Ptolemaeans, after joining battle the Sarpedon the general, were left in this place, after a brilliant rout had taken place, a wave from the sea, like a flood-tide, submerged the fugitives; and some were carried off into the sea and destroyed, whereas others were left dead in the hollow places; and then, succeeding this wave, the ebb uncovered the shore again and disclosed the bodies of men lying promiscuously among dead fish. Like occurrences take place in the neighborhood of the Mt. Casius situated near Aegypt, where the land undergoes a single quick convulsion, and makes a sudden change to a higher or lower level, the result being that, whereas the elevated part repels the sea and the sunken part receives it, yet, the land makes a reverse change and the site resumes its old position again, a complete interchange of levels sometimes having taken place and sometimes not. Perhaps such disturbances are subject to periodic principles unknown to us, as is also should be the case of the overflows of the Nile, which prove to be variant but follow some unknown order.

Greek from Jones and Sterrett (1916)

῾ιστορεῖται δὲ παράδοξον πάθος τῶν πάνυ σπανίων κατὰ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν τοῦτον τὸν μεταξὺ τῆς τε Τύρου καὶ τῆς Πτολεμαΐδος. καθ᾽ ὃν γὰρ καιρὸν οἱ Πτολεμαεῖς μάχην συνάψαντες πρὸς Σαρπηδόνα τὸν στρατηγὸν ἐλείφθησαν ἐν τῷ τόπῳ τούτῳ τροπῆς γενομένης λαμπρᾶς, ἐπέκλυσεν ἐκ τοῦ πελάγους κῦμα τοὺς φεύγοντας ὅμοιον πλημμυρίδι, καὶ τοὺς μὲν εἰς τὸ πέλαγος ἀπήρπασε καὶ διέφθειρεν, οἱ δ᾽ ἐν τοῖς κοίλοις τόποις ἔμειναν νεκροί: διαδεξαμένη δὲ ἡ ἄμπωτις πάλιν ἀνεκάλυψε καὶ ἔδειξε τὰ σώματα τῶν κειμένων ἀναμὶξ ἐν νεκροῖς ἰχθύσι. τοιαῦτα δὲ καὶ περὶ τὸ Κάσιον συμβαίνει τὸ πρὸς Αἰγύπτῳ, σπασμῷ τινι ὀξεῖ καὶ ἁπλῷ περιπιπτούσης τῆς γῆς καὶ εἰς ἑκάτερον μεταβαλλομένης ἅπαξ, ὥστε τὸ μὲν μετεωρισθὲν αὐτῆς μέρος ἐπαγαγεῖν τὴν θάλατταν, τὸ δὲ συνιζῆσαν δέξασθαι, τραπομένης δὲ τὴν ἀρχαίαν πάλιν ἕδραν ἀπολαβεῖν τὸν τόπον, τοτὲ μὲν οὖν καὶ ἐξαλλάξεώς τινος γενομένης τοτὲ δ᾽ οὔ, τάχα καὶ περιόδοις τισὶν ἐνδεδεμένων τῶν τοιούτων παθῶν ἀδήλοις ἡμῖν, καθάπερ τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν κατὰ τὸν Νεῖλον ἀναβάσεων λέγεται διαφόρων γινομένων, ἄδηλον δὲ τὴν τάξιν ἐχουσῶν.

Chronology

If there was an earthquake, there is some uncertainty about its date. According to Ambraseys (2009), it could have occurred between 138 BCE and 125 BCE. According to Karcz (2004), it likely struck between 145/144 BCE and in 138/137 BCE. Karcz (2004) added that if the Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake and the Seventeenth of Adar Quake are the same event, this event would likely have occurred in 143/142 BCE - a date which coincides with archaeoseismic evidence at Tel Ateret.

Seismic Effects Locations Online Versions and Further Reading
References

Strabo

Posidonius

Notes
Comments by Ambraseys (2009) and Ben-Menahem (1991)

Ambraseys (2009) notes that an earthquake was not specifically mentioned adding that assuming that such a large event in fact occurred, it should have caused havoc in the coastal area of southern Lebanon and Palestine, for which there is not a hint in the sources. However, In quoting Strabo, Ambraseys (2009) neglected to include Strabo’s ground movement and tsunami-like speculations. Ben-Menahem (1991) assigned a Local Magnitude of 7.0 and a Maximum Local Intensity of X to this supposed earthquake also stating that there was partial subsidence of Sur Island and that earthquake shaking was strong in Cyprus. Although Ben-Menahem (1991) cites Strabo as his source, Strabo does not mention strong earthquake shaking in Cyprus and merely speculates about the possibility of uplift followed by subsidence with no permanent change in elevation in the vicinity of Sur Island. These observations are interpretations by Ben-Menahem (1991) .

The Deipnosophistae by Athenaeus of Naucratis

Background and Biography

Biography - Athenaeus

Biography - Posidonius

Excerpts

Athenaeus of Naucratis writing in his book The Deipnosophistae in the early 3rd-century CE also records this event while explicitly stating that Posidonius [c. 135 BCE – c. 51 BCE ] was his source.
English from Gulick (1930)

I know also that Poseidonius the Stoic speaks of a great quantity of fishes in these words: When Tryphon of Apameia, who had seized the kingdom of Syria, was attacked near the city of Ptolemais by Sarpedon, Demetrius's general, the latter was defeated and forced to retreat into the interior with his troops. Tryphon's army were marching along the coast after their victory in the battle, when suddenly a wave from the ocean lifted itself to an extraordinary height and dashed upon the shore, engulfing all the men and drowning them beneath the waters. And when the wave receded it left behind a huge pile of fishes among the dead bodies. The followers of Sarpedon, hearing of this disaster, came up and gloated over the bodies of their enemies, while they also carried away an abundance of fish and offered sacrifice to Poseidon, god of the rout, near the suburbs of the city.

Seismic Effects Locations Online Versions and Further Reading
References

Athenaeus

Posidonius

The Jewish War by Josephus

Background and Biography

Background and Biography

Excerpts
English from Whiston (1737)

CHAPTER 2

CONCERNING THE SUCCESSORS OF JUDAS, WHO WERE JONATHAN AND SIMON, AND JOHN HYRCANUS

1. WHEN Jonathan, who was Judas's brother, succeeded him, he behaved himself with great circumspection in other respects, with relation to his own people; and he corroborated his authority by preserving his friendship with the Romans. He also made a league with Antiochus the son. Yet was not all this sufficient for his security; for the tyrant Trypho, who was guardian to Antiochus's son, laid a plot against him; and besides that, endeavored to take off his friends, and caught Jonathan by a wile, as he was going to Ptolemais to Antiochus, with a few persons in his company, and put him in bonds, and then made an expedition against the Jews; but when he was afterward driven away by Simon, who was Jonathan's brother, and was enraged at his defeat, he put Jonathan to death.

2. However, Simon managed the public affairs after a courageous manner, and took Gazara, and Joppa, and Jamnia, which were cities in his neighborhood. He also got the garrison under, and demolished the citadel. He was afterward an auxiliary to Antiochus, against Trypho, whom he besieged in Dora, before he went on his expedition against the Medes; yet could not he make the king ashamed of his ambition, though he had assisted him in killing Trypho; for it was not long ere Antiochus sent Cendebeus his general with an army to lay waste Judea, and to subdue Simon; yet he, though he was now in years, conducted the war as if he were a much younger man. He also sent his sons with a band of strong men against Antiochus, while he took part of the army himself with him, and fell upon him from another quarter. He also laid a great many men in ambush in many places of the mountains, and was superior in all his attacks upon them; and when he had been conqueror after so glorious a manner, he was made high priest, and also freed the Jews from the dominion of the Macedonians, after one hundred and seventy years of the empire [of Seleucus].

English from Whiston (1737) - embedded



Online Versions and Further Reading
References

Historia Chronike by John of Antioch

Background and Biography

Biography - John of Antioch

Excerpts
English from Mariev (2008)

23 At this time, because lightning struck the Capitol1, the temple caught fire and the objects of silver, gold and other costly material perished; the Sibylline oracles were destroyed2 and many houses in the city burned down, so that some who were reduced to poverty obtained a remission of their debts. At this time Antiochus [IX] surnamed Kyzikenos [r. 129 or 116 to 96 BCE] was ruling in Syria, in whose reign a great earthquake happened in the East and a countless number of Syrians perished; the city of Tyre on the coast was submerged into the sea and a comet shone for several days, announcing to him his death. A short time after Philip3 succeeded him in power, the kingdom of Syria that had existed for two-hundred and thirty years since the reign of Seleucus4 was dissolved by the Roman general Gabinius5 and declared a province of the Roman people.
Footnotes

1 JW: I am not sure what this refers to. The Pantheon in Rome was destroyed by fire in 80 CE and again in 110 CE when it was struck by lightning. The Pantheon was built on the site of a former Roman Temple during the reign of Augustus (r. 27 BCE-14 CE) (wikipedia).

2 JW: The Syballine Books, which are not the same as the Sibylline oracles, were partially destroyed by fire in 83 BCE. Based on context, John of Antioch appears to been referring to the Syballine Books.

3 JW: This refers to Philip II Philoromaeus who ruled as the last King of the Seleucid Empire from 65-64 BCE (wikipedia). Philip I Epiphanes Philadelphus who ruled the Seleucid Empire from 94 to 83 or 75 BCE (wikipedia) does not appear to be an option because John of Antioch indicates that the Philip in question was the last Seleucid Monarch.

4 JW: This refers to the Seleucid Empire which lasted from 312 BCE until 63 BCE (wikipedia).

5 JW: Gabinius led an army into Syria sometime between 66 and 62 BCE during the final phases of the Third Mithridatic War and in 57 BCE, Gabinius started his term as governor of Syria (wikipedia).

English from Triantafyllou et al. (2022)

Antiochus [IX], the so-called Cyzicenus [r. 116-96 BCE], was sovereign of Syria. During his reign, because of the occurrence of a great earthquake that happened towards the east, many myriads of Syrians killed and the seaside of Tyre inundated by the sea; and a comet that glowed for a few days foretold his death.

Greek from Mariev (2008)

23 Καθ’ ὃν δὲ χρόνον, κεραυνοῦ κατὰ τὸ Καπιτώλιον ἐνεχθέντος, ὅ τε ἱερὸς οἶκος ἐνεπρήσθη καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ σκεύη χρυσᾶ τε καὶ ἀργυρᾶ καὶ πάσης πο λυτελοῦς ὕλης ἡρπάγη, οἵ τε τῶν Σιβυλλείων χρησμοὶ διεφθάρησαν καὶ πολλοὶ τῶν τῆς πόλεως οἴκων συγκατεφλέχθησαν· ὡς καὶ ἐν ἀπορίᾳ τινὰς ἐλάσαντας συγχώρησιν τῶν ὀφλημάτων λαβεῖν, ἡγεμονεύοντος τῆς Συρίας ᾿Αντιόχου τοῦ ἐπικληθέντος Κυζικηνοῦ. ᾿Εφ’ οὗ, σεισμοῦ μεγί στου κατὰ τὴν ἕω γενομένου, πολλαὶ μυριάδες τῶν Σύρων διεφθάρησαν ἥ τε κατὰ τὴν παράλιον Τύρος ὑπὸ τῆς θαλάσσης κατεκλύσθη, κομήτης τε ἐπὶ ὀλίγας ἡμέρας ἐκλάμψας τούτῳ μὲν τὸ τοῦ θανάτου προεσήμανε τέλος. Οὐ πολλῷ δ’ ὕστερον Φιλίππου τὴν ἡγεμονίαν διαδεξαμένου ἡ τῶν Σύρων ἀρχὴ ὑπὸ Γαβινίου τοῦ ῾Ρωμαίων στρατηγοῦ κατελύθη ἔ τεσι σλʹ ἀπὸ τῆς Σελεύκου διαρκέσασα βασιλείας, ἐπαρχία τε τοῦ ῾Ρωμαίων δήμου προσηγορεύθη.

Chronology

Chronological markers in this passage are inconsistent. See footnotes for excerpt above in English from Mariev (2008).

Seismic Effects Locations Sources
Sources

Online Versions and Further Reading
References

Notes
Notes

First Mithridates Comet and the Date of the Earthquake

Triantafyllou et al. (2022:8) suggest that the comet mentioned by John of Antioch as occurring more or less coincident with the earthquake and tsunami was the first "Mithridates Comet".

a great earthquake happened in the East and a countless number of Syrians perished; the city of Tyre on the coast was submerged into the sea and a comet shone for several days, announcing to him [Antiochus [IX] surnamed Kyzikenos [r. 129 or 116 to 96 BCE] his death.
Dates for this comet by various catalogers are listed below:
Yoke (1962) and Seargent (2008:69-71) suggest that the Chinese catalogs which list comets in ~September 135 BCE and ~September 134 BCE are a repeat of the same event and that the correct date should be ~September 135 BCE. If we consider all possibilities, it may be best to date the comet to the Late Summer/Early Fall of 134 or 135 BCE. Triantafyllou et al. (2022:8) suggest that the appearance of the comet provides a terminus ante quem for the earthquake and tsunami.

Triantafyllou et al. (2022:8) further suggest that a battle at Dor between and Diodotus Tryphon and Sarpedon (Demetrius's general) provides a terminus post quem - since the earthquake and tsunami described in Strabo and Athenaeus of Naucratis' accounts occurs soon after the battle. Although Triantafyllou et al. (2022:8) date the battle at Dor to 138 BCE (based on a webpage at Livius.org), to my knowledge the date of this battle is not so well established and 138 BCE should be considered approximate. Karcz (2004) suggest the battle occurred between 145/144 and 138/137 BCE.

Unfortunately, John of Antioch's account is riddled with chronological inconsistencies which makes it hard to establish that the comet mentioned as occurring more or less at the same time as the earthquake and tsunami provides a reliable terminus ante quem. One glaring problem is that John of Antioch states that the comet was a portent of Antiochus [IX] surnamed Kyzikenos' death which is dated to 96 BCE - roughly 40 years after the appearance of the first Mithridates Comet. Triantafyllou et al. (2022:8) suggest that John of Antioch, writing 700+ years after this event, named the wrong Seleucid Emperor and should have named Antiochus VII Euergetes, nicknamed Sidetes [r. 138-129 BCE] instead. If this is the case, the The First Mithridates Comet (135/134 BCE) would have appeared about half a decade before Antiochus VII Euergetes, nicknamed Sidetes' death (129 BCE). This seems a reasonable supposition as the histories of this time period appear to be riddled with mistakes in assigning the correct Seleucid Emperor to the events various ancient historians are writing about (e.g. Malalas).

However, the possibility that John of Antioch named the wrong Seleucid Emperor is not the only chronological inconsistency in his account. John goes on to state that the next Seleucid Emperor was Philip. In this case, John of Antioch is clearly referring to Philip II Philoromaeus [r. 65-64 BCE] as John names him as the last Seleucid King after which Syria was declared a Roman Province in 63 BCE - 70+ years after the appearance First Mithridates Comet.

In fact, John of Antioch's account contains so many chronological inconsistencies that it is best characterized as being consistently inconsistent. Given that, the most likely historiographic date for the Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake has to be derived from the date of the battle at Dor which may have occurred between 145 and 137 BCE.
Comet Catalogues

Kronk (1999)



-137 The Chinese text Han shu (100) is the oldest record of this object. It says a "sparkling star" was seen at Chang [κ, λ, μ, ν1, and ν2 Hydrae] sometime during the month of —137 April 9 to May 7. The object was then said to pass the T'ai-wei Enclosure [Coma Berenices, Leo, and Virgo], trespass against the Tzu-Wei Enclosure [Draco, Ursa Minor, Cepheus, and Camelopardalis], and reach the Milky Way. Both A. G. Pingre (1783) and J. Williams (1871) erroneously dated this as March.

Although apparently situated toward the evening sky when first seen, the comet's movement into the Thai-Wei Enclosure would have made it visible almost all night long. It would have remained visible throughout the night when it became circumpolar by moving into the Tzu-Wei Enclosure.

FULL MOON: April 23
SOURCES: Han shu (100), p. (144); A. G. Pingre (1783), p. 577; J. Williams (1871), p. 5; G. F. Chambers (1889), pp. 554-5; Ho Peng Yoke (1962), p. 144.



X/-137 K1 On the Babylonian cuneiform tablet designated BMA 45709, Hermann Hunger identified two fragments referring to a comet seen during the 174th year of the Seleucid era. Fragment one was from a section for the second month and and Hunger (1995) said it states, "[ . . . ] when the comet became stationary between the star( . . . 1." Hunger (1995) said fragment two states, "That month, a comet which had set in Libra, . . I on the night of the 20th in the west (?) in the area of the pa[th of . . . ]." The indicated date is —137 May 28.

The Han shu (100) was the only ancient Chinese text reporting this object. It says a "sparkling star" was seen sometime during the month of —137 May 8 to June 6. It "appeared at T'ien-Chi [ε, ζ, and θ Herculis, and ν and ξ Coronae Borealis], and went as far as Chih-Nu [α, ε, and ζ Lyrae]." The object was probably visible throughout the night.

FULL MOON: May 22
SOURCES: Han shu (100), p. (144); A. G. Pingre (1783), p. 577; J. Williams (1871), p. 5; G. E Chambers (1889), p. 555; Ho Peng Yoke (1962), p. 144; personal correspondence from Herman Hunger (1995).



—137 The only ancient text to report this object is the Han shu (100). It says a "sparkling star" was seen by the Chinese in the northwest during the month of —137 August 5 to September 3. The northwestern location may indicate an evening sky observation. This object was listed by A. G. Pingre (1783) as appearing in -138, while J. Williams (1871) said the comet appeared in the northeast.

FULL MOON: August 18
SOURCES: Han shu (100), 6:3a; A. G. Pingre (1783), pp. 269, 577; J. Williams (1871), p. 5; G. E Chambers (1889), p. 555; Ho Peng Yoke (1962), p. 145.



—136 The only ancient text to report this comet is the Han shu (100). It says a "broom star appeared in the northeast" sometime during the month of -136 September 21 to October 20.

FULL MOON: October 4
SOURCES: Han shu (100), 6:3b; A. G. Pingre (1783), pp. 269-70; J. Williams (1871), p. 5; Ho Peng Yoke (1962), p. 145; A. A. Barrett (1978), p. 91.



X/-134 N1 This comet may have been one of the most spectacular of ancient times, with an extremely long tail and a brilliant maximum brightness. I t was observed from China and Rome, and was apparently considered a portent of two events reported by writers in the latter country.

The Chinese text Han shu (100) is our primary source of dating for this "long-tailed star". It says the comet was seen "in the east" sometime during the month of —134 August 31 to September 29, with a tail "stretching across the heavens." It remained visible for 30 days. A more contemporary source, the Shih chi (-90) did not give details of the comet, but did note the reign-period changed in —133 because of the appearance of a comet. A more recent Chinese text, the T'ung chien kang mu (1189), incorrectly claims the "long-tailed star" was seen in —133. It is possible that the "sparkling star" reported in the Han shu as seen in the north sometime during the month of -134 July 3 to August 1 might have been an earlier observation of this comet.

The Roman historians Lucius Annaeus Seneca and Marcus Junianus Justi-nus independently noted the appearance of a great comet as a portent to events discussed in their books. Seneca finished Quaestiones Naturales around 63 and at one point noted that during the reign of Attalus III, king of Pergamum, "a comet appeared, of moderate size at first. Then it rose up and spread out and went all the way to the equator, so that its vast extent equaled the region of the sky which is called the Milky Way." Justinus wrote his abridgment of the earlier written Historiae Philippicae during the 3rd century. He said that when Mithradates VI Eupator was born "a comet burned so brightly for 70 days that the entire sky seemed to be on fire. In its greatness it filled a quarter of the heavens, and with its brilliance it outshone the sun, while its rising and setting each took a period of four hours."

Previous treatments of the Roman comets were never truly decisive on the dates, mainly as a result of Seneca and Justinus not providing a definitive dating of the events described in their books. Historians have established the reign of Attalus III as extending from —137 to —132, while the probable date of the birth of Mithradates VI Eupator has been given as between —133 and —131. Although previous astronomers have listed the Roman comets separately from the Chinese comets, the Author believes that the descriptions are too similar to be ignored.

FULL MOON: July 17, August 15, September 14
SOURCES: Quaestiones Naturales (63), book 7, pp. 258-61; Natural History (77), book 2, paragraph 95; Han shu (100), 6:4a, 27:22b; Epitome, an abridgment of the Historiae Philippicae et totius mundi origines et terrae situs by Pompeius Trogus (3rd century), book 37, section 2; A. G. Pingre (1783), pp. 270-1; J. Williams (1871), p. 6; G. F. Chambers (1889), p. 555; K. Lundmark (1921), pp. 233 & 235; Hsi Tse—Tsung (1958), p. 114; Ho Peng Yoke (1962), p. 145; A. A. Barrett (1978), p. 91; I. Hasegawa (1980), p. 64; M. R. Molnar, The Celator, 11 (1997 Jun.), pp. 6—8; ICQ, 19 (1997), pp. 3-7.



X/-119 K1 On the Babylonian cuneiform tablet designated BMA 41131, Hermann Hunger identified references to a comet seen during the year —119. An observation dated May 18 says, ". . . a comet in the path of (the stars of) [ . . ]." An observation on May 20 says, ". . . when the comet became stationary to the east. . . ." A June 16th observation says the comet's tail was directed southward. Finally, an observation dated July 13 says, ". . . beginning of the night, the comet which had [appeared(?)] in the east(?) on the 29th day of month I(?) in Aries in the path of (the stars of) Anu [ . . ]. " This last state-ment indicates the comet was apparently in Aries when seen on May 18, indicating the comet was originally in the morning sky.

The annals of the text Han shu (100) is the oldest Chinese document to have reported this object. It notes that in -119, "in the spring, there was a sparkling star in the eastern quarter of the sky." An eastern location could imply a morning sky observation.

The Roman historian Marcus Junianus Justinus wrote Epitome, an abridg-ment of the Historiae Philippicae et totius mundi origines et terrae situs by Porn-peius Trogus during the 3rd century (the work of Trogus no longer exists). In one part Justinus states that at the time Mithradates VI Eupator began his reign as king of Pontus in northern Anatolia "a comet burned so brightly for 70 days that the entire sky seemed to be on fire. In its greatness it filled a quarter of the heavens, and with its brilliance it outshone the sun, while its rising and setting each took a period of four hours." The same description is also applied to a comet that appeared in the year of the birth of Mithradates VI Eupator, which was noted earlier under the comet X/-134 Nl.

The dates of this comet's appearance are firmly established by the Babylonians as May 18 to July 13. The Chinese certainly add support by noting the comet appeared during the Spring. The Roman account of Justinus is admittedly not precisely dated, but its statement of a visibility of 70 days at least indicates a long-duration comet. Typically, it is rare for a comet to attain naked-eye visibility for such a long period of time, so the Author believes the Roman account agrees well enough with the Babylonian dura-tion of 56 days to assume they are probably describing the same comet.

A. G. Pingre (1783) only knew of the Chinese comet and listed it as appearing in -120, but noted the year could have been -119.

FULL MOON: May 3, June 1, July 1
SOURCES: Han shu (100), 6:15a; A. G. Pingre (1783), p. 271; J. Williams (1871), p. 6; G. F. Chambers (1889), p. 555; Ho Peng Yoke (1962), p. 145; Epitome, an abridgment of the Historiae Philippicae et totius mundi origines et terrae situs by Pompeius Trogus (3rd century), book 37, section 2; personal correspondence from Herman Hunger (1995); The Celator,11 (1997 Jun.), pp. 6—8.



-118 The Han shu (100) is the oldest text reporting this object. It says the Chinese saw a "sparkling star" in the northeast during the spring of -118. It continues that a "long-tailed star came out again" in the northwest during summer in the month of May 8 to June 6.

FULL MOON: April 23, May 22, June 20
SOURCES: Han shu (100), 6:16a; J. Williams (1871), p. 6; G. F. Chambers (1889), p. 555; Ho Peng Yoke (1962), p. 145.



-109 The annals of the Shih chi (-90) date this comet's appearance as "in the autumn of the first year of the Yuan—Feng reign-period," which translates to autumn of —109. This "sparkling star was seen at Tung—Ching [γ, ε, ζ, λ, μ, ν, ξ, and 36 Geminorum] and some ten or twelve days later it appeared in San—Thai [ι, κ, λ, μ, ν, ξ Ursae Majoris]." The text continues, "Wang So, a man versed in the observation of the skies, reported that he had seen the star swell forth until it was as large as a melon, and after a while disappear again." This comet was referred to as the "Star of Virtue," and officials assured the emperor that it was sent by heaven to show favor in his insti¬tuting the "Feng and Shan sacrifices for the house of Han."

Although this remains the most complete account of this comet, the Han shu (100) also gave some interesting details. The annals and the astronomical chapters essentially reflect what was said in the Shih chi, but the Treatise of the Five Elements claims the comet was seen during the month of -109 May 29 to June 26. A. G. Pingre (1783) considered that the Chinese accounts referred to two different comets and dated them as —110 or -109.

On the Babylonian cuneiform tablet designated BMA 35086, Hermann Hunger identified two fragments referring to a comet seen at the beginning of the ninth month in the 202nd year of the Seleucid era. Fragment one states, "E. . . east, and its tail to the west, in the path of (the stars of) [En . . 1." Fragment two states, "1 . . . the comet which had appeared on the 1st in the path of (the stars of) Enlil, . to the north . . 1." The indicated date is -109 November 23.

The Babylonian record reports that the comet was apparently in the east with a tail pointing westward when first detected on November 23, which implies a morning sky observation. An additional, undated, statement is only partial, but seems to have something to do with the comet either having moved into the northern sky, or having moved to the north of some object or constellation.

FULL MOON: June 11, November 5, December 5
SOURCES: Shih chi (-90), SC1961, pp. 60-1; Han shu (100), 6:26b, 2.5:38a, 27:22b-23a; A. G. Pingre (1783), pp. 273 & 578; J. Williams (1871), p. 6; Ho Peng Yoke (1962), p. 145; personal correspondence from Herman Hunger (1995).



1P/-86 Q1 (Halley) Discovered: —86 July
Last seen: —86 August 24.7 (Δ=1.36 AU, r=0.71 AU, Elong.=30°)
Closest to the Earth: —86 July 27 (0.4380 AU)
-86 Calculated path: AUR (Disc), LYN (Jul. 21), LMi (Jul. 25), UMa-LEO (Jul. 29), COM (Aug. 1), VIR (Aug. 4)

Various orbital investigations have shown that 1P/Halley passed perihelion during the first days of August in —86. S uch widespread agreement indicates the orbit is well determined and, when this is combined with the scant observations from China and Babylon, a good picture of this apparition is derived.

The oldest source of information for this comet is the Babylonian cuneiform tablet designated BM 41018. During the early 1980s, Hermann Hunger identified a fragment of text that referred to a comet, and, in 1985, E R. Stephenson, K. K. C. Yau, and • were able to use additional astronomical references on the same Babylonian tablet to establish the year as -86. They were also able to establish that the comet was seen "day beyond day" during the lunar month of July 14 to August 11, and that another observation on August 24 reveals the comet had a tail 10° long.

The Chinese text Han shu (100) contains another observation of this comet. It says a "sparkling star" was seen "in the eastern quarter" during autumn, sometime within the month of August 10 to September 8.

The orbit below was computed by Donald K. Yeomans and Tao Kiang (1981) and indicates the comet reached a maximum solar elongation of 51° on July 8, and its most northerly declination of +43° (apparent) on the 25th. The comet moved to within 21° of the sun on the 28th. It is very likely that the comet was found prior to this conjunction with the sun, as Yeomans, Jurgen Rahe, and Ruth S. Freitag (1986) indicated the comet was probably brighter than magnitude 3 after mid-July and probably close to magnitude 1.4 at the time of the conjunction. But a problem also surfaces as there is a contradiction in the Chinese observation: the comet was in the morning sky in the east prior to this conjunction with the sun, not after. Kiang (1972) commented that "either the month or the direction . . . is wrong." Following up on this, Stephenson and Yau noted that if the Chinese month was changed from the 7th (August 10 to September 8) to the 6th (July 9 to August 9) the direction would fit. But they then noted that the characters for the 6th and 7th months were dissimilar, so that the direction adjustment suggested by Kiang might be the more likely alternative.

After the conjunction, the comet would have entered the western sky and the solar elongation would have increased to 36° by August 12. Thereafter, the comet would have again dived into twilight, passing only 0.5° from the sun on September 28. Because of the declining elongation, Stephenson et al. have suggested the August 24 date probably marked the final observation of this comet. Because of the evening sky l ocation, the probable UT was August 24.7.

P. H. Cowell and A. C. D. Crommelin (1908) were the first to link the comet of -86 to 1P/Halley. Their computations revealed a probable perihelion date of -86 August 15. Later investigations were conducted by Kiang (1972), Yu-Che Chang (1979), Yeomans and Kiang (1981), J. L. Brady (1982), Werner Landgraf (1986), and G. Sitarski (1988).

T -86 Aug. 6.462 (UT)
ω 90.778
Ω (2000.0) 34.018
i 163.340
q 0.58560
e 0.96768

ABSOLUTE MAGNITUDE: H10=5.0 (Kronk)
FULL MOON: July 25, August 24
SOURCES: Han shu (100), 7:1b; A. G. Pingre (1783), pp. 274-5; J. Williams (1871), p. 7; G. F. Chambers (1889), p. 555; MNRAS, 68 (Supp. 1908), pp. 665-70; Ho Peng Yoke (1962), p. 145; MRAS, 76 (1972), pp. 35, 56; CAA, 3 (1979), pp. 124, 127; D. K. Yeomans and T. Kiang (1981), p. 643; J. L. Brady (1982), p. 210; IBIS, 38 (1985), p. 201; Nature, 314 (1985 Apr. 18), pp. 587-92; W. Landgraf (1986), p. 258; JRASC, 80 (1986 Apr.), p. 72; G. Sitarski (1988), p. 263; VA, 34 (1991), pp. 180, 183.

Yoke (1962)

(33) October, 147 B.C. "In the ninth month (of the third year of the Chung-Yuan reign-period) [12th October to 10th November] there was a comet in the NW." (TCKM 4/28b; W24.)



(34) April, 138 B.C. "During the third month of the third year of the Chien-Yuan reign-period of I-Isiao-Wu(-Ti) [9th April to 7th May] a (po) comet appeared at the Chang (26th lunar mansion). It passed the Thai-Wei (Enclosure), trespassed against the Tzu-Wei (Enclosure) and reached the Milky Way (Thien-Han)." (CHS 26/27b; WHTK 286/4a; HHHY 28/2b; W25.) The WHTK gives the second month of the third year.



(35) May, 138 B.C. "During the fourth month of the third year (of the Chien-Yuan reign-yeriod) [8th May to 6th June] a (po) comet appeared at Thien-Chi (in Hercules) and went as far as Chih-Nit (Vega)." (CHS 26/27b; WHTK 286/4b; HHHY 28/2b; W26.)



(36) August, 138 B.C. "In autumn, during the seventh month of the third year of the Chien-Yuan reign-period [5th August to 3rd September] there was a (po) comet in the NW." (TCKM 4/54b; W27.)



(37) October, 137 B.C. "In autumn, during the ninth month of the 4th year of the Chien-Yuan reign-period [21st September to 20th October] there was a comet in the NE." (TCKM 4/60a; W28.)



(38) July, 135 B.C. "During the sixth month of the sixth year of the Chien-Yuan reign-period of Wu-Ti [July 3rd to August 1st] a (po) comet was seen in the N." (CHS 27/3. 3/27a; WHTK 286/4b; HHHY 29/9b; W29.)



(39) September, 135 B.C. "During the eighth month of the sixth year of the Chien-Yuan reign-period [August 31st to September 29th] a (chhang-hsing) comet appeared in the E, stretching across the heavens. It lasted 30 days before leaving." (CHS 27/3. 3/27b; TCKM 4/61b; WHTK 286/4b; HHHY 29/9b; W30.)



(40) July, 134 B.C. "During the sixth month of the first year of the Yuan-Kuang reign-period [22nd June to 21st July] a "guest star" appeared at the Fang (fourth lunar mansion)." (CHS 26/28a; HHHY 28/3a; B(1); W31; L; Hsi.) Biot and Hsi regard it as a nova.



(41) September, 134 B.C. "During the eighth month of the first year of the Yuan-Kuang reign-period [21st August to 18th September] a (chhang-hsing) comet stretched across the heavens. Hence the reign-period was changed." (TCKM com.4/116a; SC 12/7b.) The SC merely says, "The second reign-period was called Yuan-Kuang because of the appearance of a (chhang-hsing) comet." There is some likelihood that the commentator of TCKM has confused this with the September 135 B.C. comet in No. 39.



(42) Spring, 120 B.C. "In spring, during the third year of the Yuan-Shou reign-period a (po) comet was seen in the E." (TCKM 4/126a; W32.)



(43) May, 119 B.C. "During the fourth month of the fourth year of the Yuan-Shou reign-period [8th May to 6th June] a (chhang-hsing) comet was again seen in the NW." (CHS 27/3, 3/27b; TCKM 4/133b; WHTK 286/4b; HHHY 29/10a; W33.) TCKM says, "In the spring of the fourth year a (po) comet appeared in the NE, and in summer a (chhang-hsing) comet was seen in the NW."



(44) June, 110 B.C. "During the fifth month of the first year of the Yuan-Feng reign-period [29th May to 26th June] a (po) comet appeared at the Tung-Ching (22nd lunar mansion). The comet was also seen at San-Thai." (CHS 27/3, 3/27b; SC 12/20a; TCKM 5/6a; WHTK 286/5a; HHHY 29/10a; W34.) The SC says, "During the first year of the Yuan-Fong reign-period a (po) comet was seen at the Tung-Ching (22nd lunar mansion). After more than ten days the comet appeared at San-Neng [= San-Thai]."



(45) Between 108 B.C. and 107 B.C. "In the middle of the Yuan-Fong reign-period a (po) comet was seen at Ho-Shu." (CHS 26/28b; WHTK 286/5a; HHHY 28/3a; W35.) Williams gives between 109 B.C. and 108 B.C.



(46) Around 102 B.C. "In the middle of the Thai-Chhu reign-period a (po) comet was seen among the stars of Chao-Yao." (CHS 26/28b; WHTK 286/5a; HttHY 28/3a.)



(47) August, 87 B.C. "In autumn, during the seventh month of the second year of the Hou- Yuan reign-period [10th August to 8th September] a (po) comet appeared in the E." (TCKM 5/69a; W36.)
This was probably Halley's Comet. Cf. SCHOVE (1955).



(48) March, 84 B.C. "In spring, during the second month of the third year of the Chih-Yuan reign-period of the Emperor Chao-Ti [12th March to 10th April] a (po) comet was seen at the NW." (TCKM 5/74a; W37.)

Ramsey (2007)

Table 1

Tabular summary of comets and other celestial objects from 500 B.C. to A.D. 400 attested by Greco-Roman sources. An icon having the shape of an eyeball indicates that one or more sources were written by a possible eyewitness. Bracketed dates signify listings in previous catalogues that are rejected. A comet icon in column two indicates by the presence or absence of a question mark the degree of certainty with which an object can be classified as a comet. A check in column three signifies the existence of possible corroborating evidence from Asia. Column four gives the record number for comets and possible comets listed in the main body of the catalogue (nos. 1–51) and in the appendix of non-comets (nos. 1a–22a), while column five identifies the object by name (e.g. Halley) or by the historical context in which it is reported. An event enclosed within brackets is not explicitly associated in the sources with the comet. The reference number in column six is linked to the ancient sources for each object, parentheses enclosing sources that are unquestionably derived from the source preceding. The last column signifies divergences from previous catalogues:
  • B = Barrett (ref. 12)
  • G = Gundel (ref. 17)
  • K = Kronk (ref. 2)
  • K unc. = “Appendix I, Uncertain Objects” in Kronk (ref. 2)
  • P = Pingré (ref. 2)
  • Y = Yeomans (ref. 43)
Bolding singles out “Major Comets”, those of great magnitude, duration, or length.

Ramsey (2007)


Seargent (2008)

Seargent (2008:68-69)



Seargent (2008:70-71)



Diodotus Tryphon at Livius.org



A comet and the dating issue - Triantafyllou et al. (2022:8)

3.2 A comet and the dating issue

The issue of dating the earthquake and tsunami event is puzzling. Strabo narrates that the event happened just after the battle of Ptolemeans under Diodotus Tryphon against general Sarpedon. From historiographic analysis it has been suggested that the battle may have taken place between 138 and 125 BC (Ambraseys 2009), although another analysis puts the battle in July/August 138 BC (see about Diodotus Tryphon at Livius.org). On the other hand, the comet’s apparition reported by Historia chronike constitutes a terminus ante quem for the earthquake and tsunami event. The so-called Mithridates’ comet, observed in the SE Asia as well as in the Mediterranean region during September 135 BC (Yoke 1962; Seargent 2008), is possibly the comet reported in Historia chronike since it has been the closest in time. The so-called 2nd Mithridates’ comet, recorded in Greco-Roman sources (Ramsey 2007) appeared in 119 BC but it is not close in time.

An issue that needs further examination is that in Historia chronike it is reported that the earthquake event occurred during the reign (129–96 BC) of Antiochus Cyzicenus. If it is true then the terminus ante quem is shifted much later, thus contradicting the dating implied by the account of Strabo. The contradiction is resolved if John of Antioch, when writing Historia chronike had in mind Antiochus VII Euergetes, nicknamed Sidetes, who was father of Antiochus Cyzicenus. Antiochus VII Sidetes was ruler of the Hellenistic Seleucid Empire and reigned from July/August 138 to 129 BC. Under these circumstances we arrive at the conclusion that the earthquake and tsunami event likely occurred between the Ptolemais battle in the summer of 138 BC and the comet’s apparition in September 135 BC.

New Numismatic Evidence about the Comets of Mithradates the Great of Pontus (134 and 119 BC) - Molnar (1997)

Abstract

The historian, Justinus, tells us that the life of Mithradates the Great of Pontus (ca. 134 - 63 BC) was marked by two unusually large comets: one at his birth in ca. 134 BC and another at his coronation ca. 119 BC. Often these comets are cited as proof that sometimes comets heralded great, good events (such as the Star of Bethlehem.) We now have evidence that counters that notion. Mithradates struck some bronze coins that depict a foreboding hippeus (horse) comet. Pliny, the Roman naturalist, tells us that this kind of comet had plumes much like horses manes in very rapid motion and moving in a circle. The evidence is that the horses mains are synchronic bands. The visibility of these bands indicates that the hippeus comet is a class of comets that had a close encounter with the earth, perhaps on the order of a million kilometers. Hephaistion of Thebes tells us that the hippeus comet foretold the quick fall of kings and tyrants and rapid changes in the affairs of these countries. It is likely that the comet was interpreted as an omen of violent revolution, but Mithradates apparently altered the focus of the portent, namely that the comet signified his struggle to evict the Romans from Asia Minor.

Reference

Molnar, M.R. (1997) New Numismatic Evidence about the Comets of Mithradates the Great of Pontus (134 and 119 BC) American Astronomical Society, 191st AAS Meeting, id.35.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 29, p.1262

Seleucid Emperors

Seleucid Kings of Antioch in Malalas

Table Explanation

In the following table Malalas' information concerning the succession of the Seleucid kings is outlined at the left, with the accepted sequence at the right.2 His account of the Seleucids is preserved in the Church Slavonic version as well as in the Greek text of the Codex Baroccianus at Oxford: the two texts agree save in a few instances, so that the Greek text (Ox.) is used, and the Slavonic version (Slav.) is cited only when it is evident that it is more complete or correct.3
Footnotes

2 The lengths of some of the reigns are still not certain, but since it is not the purpose of this study to evaluate Malalas' information in this respect, the chronology of Bouche-Leclercq is followed, unless otherwise stated (see his table, op. cit., pp. 640-641). Reference may also be made to Wilcken, "Antiochos," R.E. I, 2450-2487, and "Alexandros," nos. 22-23, ibid., 1437-1439; Stahelin, "Seleukos," R.E. II A, 1210-1246; and Willrich, "Demetrios," nos. 40-42, R.E. IV, 2795-2802.

3 See the Church Slavonic text cited above, p. 108, n. 1.

Tables

Seleucid Period
King Notes Years of Reign
(Malalas)		 Accepted Sequence2 References
Seleucus Nicator died aged 72 not given Seleucus I Nicator, died 280/14 Malalas (204, 17-208, 21)
Antiochus Soter married his step- 20 Antiochus I Soter, 281-261 mother Stratonice and had 2 sons, Seleucus (died as a child), and Antiochus Theoeides 20 Antiochus I Soter, 281-261 Malalas (204, 17-208, 21)
Antiochus Theoeides 15 Antiochus II Theos, 261-246 Malalas (204, 17-208, 21)
Seleucus Callinicus son of Antiochus Theoeides and Berenice 24 Seleucus II Callinicus, 246-226; son of Antiochus II and Laodice, Berenice being the second wife of Antiochus II Malalas (204, 17-208, 21)
Alexander Nicator1a 4 Seleucus III Soter, 226-223; originally named Alexander, took the name Seleucus at accession Malalas (204, 17-208, 21)
Antiochus Grypus 36 Antiochus III, the Great, 223-187 Malalas (204, 17-208, 21)
Seleucus Philopator 10 Seleucus IV Philopator, 187/6-176/52a Malalas (204, 17-208, 21)
Antiochus Epiphanes3a 12 Antiochus IV Epiphanes, 175-164 Malalas (204, 17-208, 21)
Antiochus Glaucus Hierax son of Antiochus Epiphanes 2 Error for Antiochus V Eupator (son of Epiphanes), 164-162; the only Antiochus called Hierax was the younger son of Seleucus Callinicus, who never ruled, and died 227.4a "Glaucus" is not attested for any Seleucid Malalas (204, 17-208, 21)
Demetrianus son of Seleucus5a 8 Demetrius I Soter, 162-150 - up to Demetrius I Soter, we have 131 years (281-150 BCE) Malalas (204, 17-208, 21)
Antiochus ekgonos of Grypus son of Laodice, daughter of Ariarathes, king of Cappadocia. The earthquake occurred in the 8th year of his reign 9 Alexander Balas, 150-145 (usurper)
Demetrius II Nicator, 146-125
Antiochus VI Dionysus, 145-142
Tryphon Diodotus, 140-137 (usurper)		 Malalas (204, 17-208, 21)
Antiochus Euergetes6a his son Antiochus Cyzicenus married Brittane, daughter of Arsaces Antiochus VII Euergetes Sidetes, 138-129; Antiochus IX Cyzicenus was his son, but he married Cleopatra IV and Cleopatra Selene Malalas (204, 17-208, 21)
After Antiochus Euergetes there reigned 9 of his descendants until the reign of Antiochus Dionysus the Leper, father of Cleopatra and Antiochis.7a Alexander II Zabinas, 128-123
Antiochus VIII Grypus, 125-96
Seleucus V, 125
Antiochus IX Cyzicenus, 116-95
Antiochus X Eusebes, 94—83
Antiochus XI Epiphanes Philadelphus, 92
Philip I, 92-83
Demetrius III, 95-88
Antiochus XII Dionysus, 89-84 		Malalas (204, 17-208, 21)
In the 15th year of Antiochus Dionysus, Tigranes made war on Antiochus and took Antioch, which was later occupied by Pompey [Tigranes, 86 or 84-69]
Antiochus XIII Asiaticus, 68 and 65 or 65/48a
Philip II Barypous, 67/6
 Malalas (211, 4)
Pompey restored the kingdom to Dionysus, who left it to the Romans at his death; the Seleucid kings had ruled 263 years The reckoning (312/1-263=49/8 B.C.) refers to the introduction of the era of Caesar at Antioch, not to the Roman occupation of Syria1b Malalas (212, 9)
Roman Period
King Notes Years of Reign
(Malalas)		 Accepted Sequence2 References
Philip Barypous Philip II, 67/6 Malalas (225, 9)
Antiochus Philadelphus Antiochus XI Epiphanes Philadelphus, 92 Malalas (234, 1)
Antiochus Philopator Antiochus IX or XII (?) Malalas (235, 18)
Footnotes

2 The lengths of some of the reigns are still not certain, but since it is not the purpose of this study to evaluate Malalas' information in this respect, the chronology of Bouche-Leclercq is followed, unless otherwise stated (see his table, op. cit., pp. 640-641). Reference may also be made to Wilcken, "Antiochos," R.E. I, 2450-2487, and "Alexandros," nos. 22-23, ibid., 1437-1439; Stahelin, "Seleukos," R.E. II A, 1210-1246; and Willrich, "Demetrios," nos. 40-42, R.E. IV, 2795-2802.

4 Stahelin assigns the death of Seleucus to the end of 281 or the beginning of 280, R.E. II A, 1225-1226; W. Kolbe limits it to Dec. 281 or Jan. 280, "Beitrage zur syr. u. jud. Gesch.," Beitrage zur Wiss. vom Alt. Test., N.F. Heft 10, Stuttgart, 1926, pp. 14-15.

1a Ox. has "Alexander Nicator, 36 years" (205, 5), while Slav. has "Alexander Nicator, 4 years; and Antiochus Grypus, 36 years" (6, 3).

2a This is Stahelin's chronology (R.E. II A, 1242 ff.), which is more instructive for comparison with Malalas' evidence than the years 187-175 given by Bouche-Leclercq.

3a In 234, 1 Malalas calls Antiochus 'Αντιοχου του επιφανεστατςυ βασιλεωσ..

4a Wilcken, R.E. I, 2457 ff.

5a With "Demetrianos" for "Demetrios," compare "Markianos" for "Markios" in 225, 8. Further examples of Malalas' distortion of names are listed in my article cited above (p. 107, n. 3), p. 144, n. 5.

6a Slav.: "Antiochus Euprepes" (7, 22).

7a Ox.: "Antiochus Dionicus" (208, 13, 15; 211, 5; 212, 9, 17, 20); Slav.: "Antiochus Dionysus" (7, 28, 31; 10, 11, 13).

8a On the chronology of Antiochus XIII and Philip II, see my article cited above, p. 107, n. 3.

1b On the date of the introduction of the era of Caesar at Antioch, see Stauffenberg, op. cit., pp. 108-117.

Other References

Mithridates VI of Pontus Comet Coin - Coin Talk

Conflation Possibilities - The Dead Fish and Soldiers, Malalas Confusion, and the Seventeenth of Adar Quakes

It is possible that the Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake and the Malalas Confusion Quake refer to the same event. Karcz (2004) speculated on this possibility suggesting Malalas may have misreported the ruling Seleucid King when the alleged Malalas Confusion Quake struck Antioch. Karcz (2004) further suggested that the Seventeenth of Adar Quake may refer to the Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake. Karcz (2004) constrained the date of the Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake to between 145/144 BCE and in 138/137 BCE and noted that if the Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake and the Seventeenth of Adar Quake are the same event, this event would likely have occurred in 143/142 BCE. Guidoboni et al (1994) did not discuss the Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake and dated the Malalas Confusion Quake to 148 (or 130 ?) BCE. Ambraseys (2009) dated the Malalas Confusion Quake to 148 BCE and dated the Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake to 139 BCE and noted the following while referencing the battle that preceded the Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake

This battle probably took place about six years after Alexander Balas’ death in 145 BC (Clinton 1830, v, 327). However, the sequence of events for the years following Alexander’s death would put the event between 138 and 125 BC (Pauly.W iv, 2, col. 2800).

Archaeoseismic Evidence

Location (with hotlink) Status Intensity Notes
Tel Ateret aka Vadun Jacob probable ≥9 Ellenblum et. al. (2015:5) estimated a displacement of ~2.5 m from this event which, though dated from the 3rd century BCE - ~142 BCE, probably struck around ~142 BCE. Using the scaling laws of Wells and Coppersmith (1994), ~2.5 m of strike-slip displacement corresponds to a magnitude of 7.1 - 7.4.
Tell Anafa possible Hellenistic Earthquake inferred from possible rebuilding - Although Herbert in Stern et al (1993) did not report any evidence for seismic destruction in Hellenistic times, they did date construction of a Late Hellenistic stuccoed building around ~125 BCE noting that a coin of Alexander Zebina (128-125 BCE) found in the construction fill of the bath's southern room is the latest find under any of the building's original floors. Herbert in Stern et al (1993) also reports that a massive leveling and terracing operation took place with the construction of the Late Hellenistic stuccoed building, obliterating earlier architectural remains. This could explain an absence of archaeoseismic evidence.
Location (with hotlink) Status Intensity Notes
Tel Ateret aka Vadun Jacob



Tell Anafa



Landslide Evidence

1 PGA to Intensity conversions use Wald et al (1999).
Location (with hotlink) Status Minimum PGA (g) Likely PGA (g) Likely Intensity1 Comments
Jordan River Delta possible Niemi and Ben-Avraham (1994) estimated that Event 2 was younger than 3-5 ka and older than 1927 CE.
Gulf Of Aqaba possible Event D in R/V Mediterranean Explorer core P27 - ~143 BCE

2 cm. thick Mass Transport Deposit Event D was identified in R/V Mediterranean Explorer Canyon Core P27 by Ash-Mor et al. (2017). Ash-Mor et al. (2017) provided an unmodeled 14C date of ~143 CE (2093 ± 56 cal years BP).

R/V Thuwal Core 11 Unit J Turbidite - ~450-~50 BCE (1σ)

Bektaş et al. (2024) identified/interpreted a seismo-turbidite deemed Unit J of R/V Thuwal Core 11 which was taken near the southern terminus of the Aragonese Fault. They assigned a date of ca. 250 BCE to this turbidite which, based on Probability Density Functions (PDFs) presented in Fig. 8 of their paper, should have been deposited between ~450 and ~50 BCE (1σ) and may be due to two events spaced between 100 and 250 years apart.
Location (with hotlink) Status Minimum PGA (g) Likely PGA (g) Likely Intensity1 Comments
Jordan River Delta

Niemi and Ben-Avraham (1994) estimated that Event 2 was younger than 3-5 ka and older than 1927 CE.



Gulf Of Aqaba



Tsunamogenic Evidence

Location (with hotlink) Status Intensity Notes
Tyre missing evidence Marriner et al (2005) undertook a litho and biostratigraphical study of four core sequences from the landward edge of the current harbor. AMS radiocarbon dating was performed on dateable material found in the cores. They attributed missing 1st millennium BCE strata to dredging activity undertaken in the Roman and Byzantine periods.
Location (with hotlink) Status Intensity Notes
Tyre



Paleoseismic Evidence

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Location (with hotlink) Status Intensity Notes
Dinar Trenches possible - indeterminate ≥ 7 Altunel et al (1999) claim evidence for a ~80 BCE Apamea Earthquake in Event 2 from their trenches but only two useful radiocarbon dates were obtained in their paleoseismic study. The date constraints from these two samples are large (~1550 BCE - 1360 ± 50 CE) and their historical earthquake assignment is speculative - based on consulting earthquake catalogs during that time span.
Hacipasa Trenches possible ≥ 7 The oldest event identified in the Ziyaret Trench dated to before 983 CE. A lower bound on age was not available due to insufficient radiocarbon dates.
Tekieh Trenches possible ≥ 7 Gomez et. al. (2003:15) may have seen evidence for an earthquake in the 1st or 2nd century BCE in Event B. Event B is estimated to have created ~ 2 meters of left lateral strike slip displacement which translates to an estimated Magnitude between 7.0 and 7.3 (7.0 and 7.2 according to Gomez et al, 2003:16-17). In terms of dating, an upper bound for Event B is 170 BCE - 20 CE while a lower bound for Events B and and the older Event C is from 1690 - 1400 BCE.
Tabarja Benches possible Mw = ~7.5 Elias et al (2007) examined uplifted benches on the Lebanese coast between Sarafand and Tripolis; some in the vicinity of Tabarja (~20 km. NE of Beirut). They identified four uplifts from 3 or more [sizeable Mw = ~7.5] earthquakes in the past ca. 6-7 ka. They attributed the latest uplift (B1) to the 551 CE Beirut Quake while the earlier events (B2, B3, and B4) were no more precisely dated than between ~5000 BCE and 551 CE. Bench uplift on the earlier events (B2, B3, and B4) would likely have been due to uplift on the Mount Lebanon Thrust system - as was surmised for Event B1 and the 551 CE Beirut Quake.
Jarmaq Trench possible ≥ 7 Nemer and Meghraoui (2006) date Event Y to between 2920-2879 BCE and 84-239 CE
Qiryat-Shemona Rockfalls possible Kanari, M. (2008) examined rockfalls in Qiryat-Shemona which were attributed to earthquakes. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating was performed on soil samples beneath the fallen rocks. Kanari et al (2019) assigned Sample ID QS-6 to an earthquake in 199 BCE but the wide spread in ages indicate that this event could have occurred in the 2nd century BCE.
Bet Zayda possible ≥ 7 Wechsler at al. (2014) records event CH4-E6 with a modeled age of 392 BCE – 91 CE.
Jordan Valley - Dir Hagla Trenches possible ≥ 7 Reches and Hoexter (1981) report that Event A was dated from 200 BCE - 200 CE and exhibited 3.5 m of vertical displacement. Although the total vertical displacement could have been created by more than one seismic event, there were no broken layers between Event A the next Event (B) which was dated to between 700 and 900 CE. Further, they interpreted Event A created a fault scarp on the site. Kagan, E., et al. (2011) noted that the dip slip could have been magnified by local variations in the strike of the fault.
Dead Sea - Seismite Types n/a n/a If the Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake struck somewhere on the Lebanese littoral, it's epicenter might have been ~200-250 km. away from the Dead Sea Paleoseismic sites. If one assumes a magnitude of 6.5, this leads to projected PGAs of 0.08-0.10 g at the Dead Sea sites. At a magnitude of 7.0, those numbers go up to 0.14-0.18 g. This is below the 0.23 g threshold calculated by Williams (2004) and is, in some cases, above the 0.13 g threshold assumed in Lu et al (2020a) that one needs to break the Dead Sea sediments. So, while a northern Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake could have left a mark in the Dead Sea, it would not likely have churned up seismites as thick the mid 2nd century BCE seismites we see in the outcrops. It also would not likely have extended to the Araba. This suggests that the causitive earthquake for the mid 2nd century BCE seismites was probably in the region. This further suggests that we may be dealing with an earthquake couplet where an earthquake in the northern part of the Dead Sea Transform struck within a short amount of time (1-2 decades or less) before or after an earthquake in the southern part of the Transform.

Calculator
Seismic Attenuation

Variable Input Units Notes
Magnitude
km. Distance to earthquake producing fault
Variable Output - Site Effect not considered Units Notes
unitless
unitless Conversion from PGA to Intensity using Wald et al (1999)
  

Dead Sea - Nahal Darga possible ≥ 7 Enzel et. al. (2000) identified a 20 cm. thick seismite in coarse grained lithology in Deformed Unit 8 in Stratigraphic Unit 10 which dated to 450-50 BCE (2400-2000 yrs BP).
Dead Sea - En Feshkapossible 7.9 - 8.8 Kagan et al (2011) identified two seismites which they estimate struck in the 2nd century BCE.
Depth (cm.) Thickness (cm.) Seismite Type Modeled Age (± 1σ) Modeled Age (± 2σ) Quake Assignment (Kagan) Quake Assignment (Williams)
393 l 4 121 BCE ± 25 119 BCE ± 58 mid 2nd century BCE possibly ~150 BCE southern Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake
402 l.5 4 151 BCE ± 21 150 BCE ± 55 mid 2nd century BCE possibly ~150 BCE southern Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake
Dead Sea - En Gedi possible 7.9 - 8.8 Migowski et. al. (2004) dated a 1 cm. thick Type 4 seismite at a depth of 302.48 cm. (3.0248 m) to 140 BCE.
Dead Sea - Nahal Ze 'elim possible 8.2 - 9.0 (All sites) At site ZA-2, Kagan et al (2011) observed a 8 cm. thick Type 4 intraclast breccia seismite at a depth of 516 cm. with modeled ages of 103 BCE ± 37 (1σ) and 103 BCE ± 75 (2σ). They suggested it struck in the middle of the 2nd century BCE. It may have formed during the southern Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake.

At site ZA-1, Kagan et al (2011) in Table 4 reports a 15 cm. thick seismite which they also assigned a date of mid second century BCE (i.e., assumed to be the same seismite). This appears to be the same seismite which Ken-Tor et al (2001a) labeled as Event A. Event A is an 11 cm. thick Type 4 seismite which Ken-Tor et al (2001a) dated as 200 BCE ± 160 (± 2σ) and estimated the most probable age as 400-200 BCE. Ken-Tor et al (2001a) assigned Event A to to the potentially dubious 64 BCE Pig on the Wall Quake. Williams (2004) and Agnon et. al (2006) redated Event A to better match the radiocarbon dates. Williams (2004) and Agnon et. al (2006) estimated dates of ~150 BCE and ~140 BCE respectively.
Araba - Introduction n/a n/a n/a
Araba - Taybeh Trench possible ≥ 7 LeFevre et al. (2018) reports a modeled age for Event E6 of 139 BCE ± 22.
Araba - Qatar Trench unlikely ≥ 7 Klinger et. al. (2015) did not observe any mid 2nd century BCE seismic events.
Location (with hotlink) Status Intensity Notes
Dinar Trenches



Altunel et al (1999) claim evidence for a ~80 BCE Apamea Earthquake in Event 2 from their trenches but only two useful radiocarbon dates were obtained in their paleoseismic study. The date constraints from these two samples are large (~1550 BCE - 1360 ± 50 CE) and their historical earthquake assignment is speculative - based on consulting earthquake catalogs during that time span.



Hacipasa Trenches

The oldest event identified in the Ziyaret Trench dated to before 983 CE. A lower bound on age was not available due to insufficient radiocarbon dates.



Tekieh Trenches

Gomez et. al. (2003:15) may have seen evidence for an earthquake in the 1st or 2nd century BCE in Event B. Event B is estimated to have created ~ 2 meters of left lateral strike slip displacement which translates to an estimated Magnitude between 7.0 and 7.3 (7.0 and 7.2 according to Gomez et al, 2003:16-17). In terms of dating, an upper bound for Event B is 170 BCE - 20 CE while a lower bound for Events B and and the older Event C is from 1690 - 1400 BCE.



Tabarja Benches

Elias et al (2007) examined uplifted benches on the Lebanese coast between Sarafand and Tripolis; some in the vicinity of Tabarja (~20 km. NE of Beirut). They identified four uplifts from 3 or more [sizeable Mw = ~7.5] earthquakes in the past ca. 6-7 ka. They attributed the latest uplift (B1) to the 551 CE Beirut Quake while the earlier events (B2, B3, and B4) were no more precisely dated than between ~5000 BCE and 551 CE. Bench uplift on the earlier events (B2, B3, and B4) would likely have been due to uplift on the Mount Lebanon Thrust system - as was surmised for Event B1 and the 551 CE Beirut Quake.



Jarmaq Trench

Nemer and Meghraoui (2006) date Event Y to between 2920-2879 BCE and 84-239 CE



Qiryat-Shemona Rockfalls

Kanari, M. (2008) examined rockfalls in Qiryat-Shemona which were attributed to earthquakes. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating was performed on soil samples beneath the fallen rocks. Kanari et al (2019) assigned Sample ID QS-6 to an earthquake in 199 BCE but the wide spread in ages indicate that this event could have occurred in the 2nd century BCE.



Bet Zayda (aka Beteiha)

Wechsler at al. (2014) records event CH4-E6 with a modeled age of 392 BCE – 91 CE.



Jordan Valley - Dir Hagla Trenches

Reches and Hoexter (1981) report that Event A was dated from 200 BCE - 200 CE and exhibited 3.5 m of vertical displacement. Although the total vertical displacement could have been created by more than one seismic event, there were no broken layers between Event A the next Event (B) which was dated to between 700 and 900 CE. Further, they interpreted Event A created a fault scarp on the site. Kagan, E., et al. (2011) noted that the dip slip could have been magnified by local variations in the strike of the fault.



Dead Sea - Seismite Types



Dead Sea - Nahal Darga

Enzel et. al. (2000) identified a 20 cm. thick seismite in coarse grained lithology in Deformed Unit 8 in Stratigraphic Unit 10 which dated to 450-50 BCE (2400-2000 yrs BP).



Dead Sea - En Feshka

Kagan et al (2011) identified two seismites which they estimate struck in the 2nd century BCE.

Depth (cm.) Thickness (cm.) Seismite Type Modeled Age (± 1σ) Modeled Age (± 2σ) Quake Assignment (Kagan) Quake Assignment (Williams)
393 l 4 121 BCE ± 25 119 BCE ± 58 mid 2nd century BCE possibly ~150 BCE southern Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake
402 l.5 4 151 BCE ± 21 150 BCE ± 55 mid 2nd century BCE possibly ~150 BCE southern Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake


Dead Sea - En Gedi

Migowski et. al. (2004) dated a 1 cm. thick Type 4 seismite at a depth of 302.48 cm. (3.0248 m) to 140 BCE.



Dead Sea - Nahal Ze 'elim

ZA-2
At site ZA-2, Kagan et al (2011) observed a 8 cm. thick Type 4 intraclast breccia seismite at a depth of 516 cm. with modeled ages of 103 BCE ± 37 (1σ) and 103 BCE ± 75 (2σ). They suggested it struck in the middle of the 2nd century BCE. It may have formed during the southern Dead Fish and Soldiers Quake.
ZA-1
At site ZA-1, Kagan et al (2011) in Table 4 reports a 15 cm. thick seismite which they also assigned a date of mid second century BCE (i.e., assumed to be the same seismite). This appears to be the same seismite which Ken-Tor et al (2001a) labeled as Event A. Event A is an 11 cm. thick Type 4 seismite which Ken-Tor et al (2001a) dated as 200 BCE ± 160 (± 2σ) and estimated the most probable age as 400-200 BCE. Ken-Tor et al (2001a) assigned Event A to to the potentially dubious 64 BCE Pig on the Wall Quake. Williams (2004) and Agnon et. al (2006) redated Event A to better match the radiocarbon dates. Williams (2004) and Agnon et. al (2006) estimated dates of ~150 BCE and ~140 BCE respectively.



Araba - Introduction



Araba - Taybeh Trench

LeFevre et al. (2018) reports a modeled age for Event E6 of 139 BCE ± 22.



Araba - Qatar Trench

Klinger et. al. (2015) did not observe any mid 2nd century BCE seismic events.



Notes

Ambraseys (2009)

[139 BC Ptolemais]

Following the battle between Tryphon and Sarpedon, while the latter was marching with his army along the coast of Lebanon, a sea wave flooded the shore between Ptolemais (Acre) and Sidon, engulfing and drowning his men. Strabo says that when the water receded it left behind a pile of fish among the dead bodies. This battle probably took place about six years after Alexander Balas’ death in 145 BC (Clinton 1830, v, 327). However, the sequence of events for the years following Alexander’s death would put the event between 138 and 125 BC (Pauly.W iv, 2, col. 2800). There is no evidence that this event was connected with an earthquake.

The flood wave of 139 BC on the coast of Lebanon is another example for which the sources do not mention an earthquake. Yet again, modern writers assign to it not only a seismic origin, but also a magnitude of M 7.0 (Ben Menahem1979,286). Assuming that such a large event in fact occurred, it should have caused havoc in the coastal area of southern Lebanon and Palestine, for which there is not a hint in the sources.

Notes

I know also that Poseidonius the Stoic speaks of a great quantity of fishes in these words: “When Tryphon of Apameia, who had seized the kingdom of Syria, was attacked near the city of Ptole mais by Sarpedon, Demetrius’ general, the latter was defeated and forced to retreat into the interior with his troops. Tryphon’s army were marching along the coast after their victory in the battle, when suddenly a wave from the ocean lifted itself to an extraordinary height and dashed upon the shore, engulfing all the men and drowning them beneath the waters. And when the wave receded it left behind a huge pile of fishes among the dead bodies. The followers of Sarpedon, hearing of this disaster, came up and gloated over the bodies of their enemies, while they also carried away an abundanace of fish and offered sacrifice to Poseidon, god of the rout, near the suburbs of the city.” [Ath.Deipnos. VIII. 333c/LCL.iv.12–14).
A marvellous occurrence of a very rare kind is reported as having taken place on this shore between Tyre and Ptolemais: at the time when the Ptolemaeans, after joining battle with Sarpe don the general, were left in this place, after a brilliant rout had taken place, a wave from the sea, like a flood-tide, submerged the fugitives; and some were carried off into the sea and destroyed, whereas others were left dead in the hollow places; and then, suc ceeding this wave, the ebb uncovered the shore again and dis closed the bodies of men lying promiscuously among dead fish. (Str. xvi. ii. 26/LCL. vii. 272)

References

Ambraseys, N. N. (2009). Earthquakes in the Mediterranean and Middle East: a multidisciplinary study of seismicity up to 1900.

Khirbet el-‘Eika

Leibner (2021) reports that this site, as well as other Galilean sites, was abandoned around 145/4 BCE. The cause has not been determined but military activity due to Hasmonean expansion is suspected. It is also possible that an earthquake was involved.

8 Maccabees

Wikipedia reports the following:

8 Maccabees, in Greek, a brief account of the revolt which draws on Seleucid sources, preserved in the Chronicle of John Malalas (pp. 206–207 in Dindorf).[3][4]
Footnotes

3 Davila, James R. (2009) "The More Old Testament Pseudepigrapha Project" (PDF). University of St. Andrews. which states that 8 Maccabees is a brief account of the revolt drawing on Seleucid sources and now preserved in the Chronicle of John Malalas, §§206-207

4 John Malalas, Chronographia. Edited by Ludwig A. Dindorf. Vol. 15 of Corpus Scriptorum Historiae Byzantinae. Bonn: Weber, 1831 which, in Latin translation of Book (?) L.VIII (50.8), states

Machine Translation into English

because he demanded tribute from the Jews, subjects of his kingdom. for as he marched through Palestine in great famine, The Jews were forced to buy corn from Egypt. And so they set out for Antioch, calling on King Antiochus they had, that Ptolemy, the king of Egypt, should be exhorted by letters not to exact tribute from the Jews, who exported to Egypt only grain necessary for subsistence. But Ptolemy, having received Antiochus of letters, he exacted all the more strictly the tributes from the Jews. And so Antiochus moved his arms against him, and the battle took place when it was committed, a great multitude fell from the parts of Antioch; the king himself escaped by flight to his own lands, Meanwhile the Jews of Jerusalem, hearing these things, thought that Antiochus had fallen in battle, they gave; and they lighted the pyres, congratulating them, and Antiochus Epiphanes, having gathered again army, Ptolemy is adored 3 and having been killed by him, he dispersed his troops. On the other hand, what is the opposite? the Jews of Jerusalem, congratulating themselves on the defeat inflicted by Ptolemy, had marched into Jerusalem he moved his arms, and surrounded them with a siege; He then laid waste the captives, giving all the Jews to be exterminated. And the high pontiff of Eleagus, and the Maccabees, having been abducted from Antioch, he punished with death. He also overthrew the priesthood of the Jews, and the temple of Solomon at Jupiter at Olympia and he said to Minerva. But he defiled the house of God with swine's flesh; It was also forbidden to the Jews the religion of the country, the rites of the Greeks, for three years, forced them to observe.

Then Antiochus died; after whom his son, Antiochus Glaucus, called Hierax, reigned for 2 years.

This was received by Demetrianus, Seleucus F, who reigned in the years of his husband. Now there was a certain Jew, named Judas, of Antioch coming, he obtained by his entreaties to Demetrius, that the temple should be built again for himself and for the remains of the Maccabees; whom Judas buried in Antioch the great, in a place called Cerateum: where also was the synagogue of the Jews. For Antiochus had put them to death near the city, on the side of Jupiter Cassius, on the Mount of Ever-Weeping. Judas but having cleansed the temple and the city, he celebrated the Passover to God. This was the second captivity of the Jews: εἰ in the Chronicles handed down by Eusebius to Pamphili.

Demetrius was succeeded in the kingdom by Antiochus, grandson of Grypis, son of Laodiots, Ariarath, king of Cappadocia daughters; And he reigned ΥΙ years. And in the eighth year of his Macedonian empire, Antioch suffered an earthquake Great This happened at the 10th hour of the 21st day of the month of Pertius, or February; In the year of the plague, the first wall was thrown down by Seleucus Nicator

Latin

eo quod a Judaeis, regno suo subjectis, tributa exigeret. Grassante enim per Palaestinam fame maxima, Judaei ex Aegypto frumentum emere coacti sunt. Antiochiam itaque profecti, Antiochum regem exoratum habuerunt, uti Ptolomaeum, Aegypti regem, per literas hortaretur, uti vectigalia ἃ Judaeis non exigeret, qui non nisi in victum necessarium frumenta Aegypto exportabant. Ptolomaeus autem, acceptis Antiochi literis, tributa ἃ Judaeis eo strictius exigebat. Itaque adversus eum arma movit Antiochus: praelioque commisso, ingens ex Antiocbi partibus cecidit multitudo; rex sutem ipse fuga in fines suos evasit, Judaei interim Hierosolymitani his auditis, Antiochum in praelio cecidisse rati, Ptolomaeo sese dederunt; pyrasque, illi congratulantes, accenderunt, Antiochus autem Epiphanes, collecto iterum exercitu, Ptolomaeum adoritur 3 eoque occiso, copias ejus profligavit. Audito vero, quid contra se fecissent Judaei Hierosolymitani, cladem a Ptolomaeo illatam gratulantes, in Hierosolymas arma movit, easque obsidione cinxit; captas deinde vastavit, Judaeis internecioni datis omnibus. Eleagzarum autem Pontificem Maximum, et Maccabaeos, Antiochiam abductos, morte multavit.. Sacerdotium etiam Judaeorum subvertit, Templumque Salomonis Jovi Olympio et Minervae dicavit. Sed et Dei domum porcinis carnibus conspurcavit; Judaeis etiam interdicta religione patria, Graecorum ritus, per tres annos, eos observare coegit.

Mortuus deinde est Antiochus; post quem regnavit filius ejos, Antiochus Glaucus, Hierax vocatus, annis II.

Honc excepit Demetrianus, Seleuci F, qui regnavit, annos vri. Judaeus vero quidam, nomine Judas, Antiochiam veniens, ἃ Demetriano Precibus suis obtinuit, ut templum sibi iterum et Maccabaeorum concetur reliquiae; quas Judas in Antiochia magna sepelivit, in loco qui dicitur, JCerateum: ubi etiam erat synagoga Judaeorum. Hos enim prope ab urbe, e regione Jovis Cassii, neci dederat Antiochus, in Monte semper lachrymanti. Judas autem gepurgato "Templo, urbeque instaurata, Pascham Deo celebravit. Erat haec secunda Judaeorum captivitas: εἰ in Chronicis tradidit Eusebius Pamphili.

Demetriano successit in regno Antiochus, Grypi nepos, filius Laodiots, Ariarathi Cappadocum regis filiae; Et regnavit annos ΧΙ. Ánno autem octavo imperii ejus Macedonicl, terrae motum passa est Antiochia Magna. Aécidit hoc ad horam X diei XXI mensis Perittii, sive Februari; anno pest jacta ἃ Seleuco Nicatore prima moenium

Notes
Wikipedia page for Books of the Maccabees



Chronographia by John Malalas in Greek and Latin - embedded



Chronographia by John Malalas in from Jeffries et al (1986) - embedded



Diodotus Tryphon at Livius.org



Paleoclimate - Droughts

References