| 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 | 1113 CE | Jerusalem | Fulcher of Chartres wrote about an earthquake he experienced in Jerusalem at midnight on 18 July and 9 am on 9 August 1113 CE. No other details were given however in the previous chapter, he mentioned that seemingly all of the Christian townspeople of Jerusalem repaired damage to the cities and walls while anticipating a siege from an invading Army of Turks. If the previous passage is slightly out of sync with the earthquakes report, damage to the walls may have been caused by the earthquake (Ryan (1969:208 note 1) |
| Secunda pars historiae Iherosolimitane | Latin |
|
Roman Catholic | third quarter of the 12th c. | Secunda pars historiae Iherosolimitane reports that in 1113 CE, the earth was shaken twice by a terrible earthquake and buildings were overturned with the people withering in fear. It is difficult to ascertain the location of this report but since Secunda pars is traditionally considered to be a sort of epitome of the work of Fulcher of Chartres, Fulcher's report that he felt this earthquake in Jerusalem should apply to this text as well with the addition that Secunda pars may also describe seismic shaking in a sea where fishing was peformed as a profession - e.g. in the Sea of Galilee. |
|
| Sicard of Cremona | Latin |
|
Roman Catholic | ~1212 CE | Cremona in Italy | Sicard of Cremona reports that in 1113 CE, there was a solar eclipse and an earthquake in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem which by 1113 CE included Jerusalem, Ascalon, Jaffa, Ramla, Caesarea, Haifa, Acre, and possibly Petra and Aqaba. As of 1135 CE the Kingdom of Jerusalem encompassed roughly the territory of modern-day Israel, Palestine and the southern parts of Lebanon. A total solar eclipse was visible from the Kingdom of Jerusalem on 19 March 1113 CE. |
| History of Heraclius (The Eracles or Estoire d’Eracles) | Vulgar French |
|
Christian | possibly between 1220 and 1277 CE | possibly in the West | History of Heraclius (The Eracles or Estoire d’Eracles) reports that there were two earthquakes in 1113 CE. The 1st Quake struck at midnight and the 2nd struck at 9 am. Days and location were not specified. |
| 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. |
|
| Shivta | possible | ≥ 8 | Post Abandonment Earthquake(s) - 8th - 15th centuries CE - On the western perimeter of Shivta in Building 121,
Erickson-Gini (2013) found evidence of earthquake induced collapse of the ceilings and parts of the wallswhich she dated to possibly in the Middle Islamic periodafter the site was abandoned at the end of the Early Islamic period.Collapsed arches were also found. The arches appear to be in a crescent pattern. Erickson-Gini (2013) discussed dating of the structure is as follows: The excavation revealed that the structure was built and occupied in the Late Byzantine period (fifth–seventh centuries CE) and continued to be occupied as late as the Early Islamic period (eighth century CE). The structure appears to have collapsed sometime after its abandonment, possibly in the Middle Islamic period.Dateable artifacts in Room 2 came from the Late Byzantine period and the Early Islamic period (eighth century CE). The terminus ante quem for this earthquake is not well established. Korjenkov and Mazor (1999a) report that a site effect is not likely at this location. |
| 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 1113 CE Jerusalem Quakes. At site ZA-1, Ken-Tor et. al. (2001a) did not find any seismites which dated to around the time of the 1113 CE Jerusalem Quakes. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 |
References
Zohar, M. (2019). Temporal and Spatial Patterns of Seismic Activity Associated with the Dead Sea
Transform (DST) during the Past 3000 Yr. Seismological Research Letters 91(1): 207-221..
.
Zohar, M. (2019) Supplement - ie the catalog
M. Zohar's publication page with links to his publications
