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Continuation of The Chronicle of Matthew of Edessa by Gregory the Priest

Background and Biography
Background and Biography

Events
13 Oct 1156 CE Hama, Afamya, and Aleppo Quake(s)

Excerpts

English from Dostourian (1993)

31. Previous to this, in the year 605 [1156-1157] on the 26th of November, an earthquake was felt throughout the whole land. Many Muslim towns on the confines of Arabia, near Aleppo, collapsed to their very foundations. However, the Lord has saved the Christians from any harm right up to the present. The tremors continued without interruption until the beginning of the following year, and it was impossible to reckon their number during the fourteen months [of the earthquake period].

English from Ambraseys (2009)

. . . in the year 605 [11 February 1156 to 9 February 1157], on 26th October, an earthquake was felt everywhere. Several towns belonging to the Muslims, within Arab territory in the region of Aleppo, were completely overthrown. But the Christians have been preserved by the Lord until the present time. The shocks continued without interruption until the beginning of the following year, amounting to an incalculable number over fourteen months. (Greg. Pr. 179).

English translated from French from Delaurier (1858)

Prior to these events, and in the year 605 (February 11, 1156-February 9, 1157), on October 26, an earthquake was felt everywhere. Several towns belonging to Muslims, on the confines of Arabia, on the side of Aleppo, were overturned from top to bottom. But Christians have been hitherto preserved by the Lord. The shaking continued uninterrupted until the beginning of the following year, and without it being possible to count them, for fourteen consecutive months.

French from Delaurier (1858)

Antérieurement à ces événements, et en l'année 605 (11 février 1156-9 février 1157), le 26 octobre, un tremblement de terre se fit sentir partout. Plusieurs villes appartenant aux musulmans, sur les confins de l'Arabie, du côté d'Alep, furent renversées de fond en comble. Mais les chrétiens ont été jusqu'à présent préservés par le Seigneur. Les secousses continuèrent sans interruption jusqu'au commencement de l'année suivante,et sans qu'il fût possible de les compter, pendant quatorze mois consécutifs.

French from Delaurier (1858) - embedded



Chronology
Dostourian's (1993) translation
Date Reference Corrections Notes
26 Nov. 1156 CE year 605 of the Armenian era
on 26th November		 none
  • Translator specifies a month and day presumably in the Julian Calendar and a year in the Armenian Calendar
  • epistemeacademy.org shows the Armenian Calendar for 1156 CE where Armenian year 604 ended on 10 Feb. and Armenian year 605 began on 11 Feb.
Ambraseys' (2009) and Delaurier's (1858) translations
Date Reference Corrections Notes
26 Oct. 1156 CE year 605 of the Armenian era
on 26th October		 none
  • Translator specifies a month and day presumably in the Julian Calendar and a year in the Armenian Calendar
  • epistemeacademy.org shows the Armenian Calendar for 1156 CE where Armenian year 604 ended on 10 Feb. and Armenian year 605 began on 11 Feb.
Chronological discussion from Ambraseys (2009)

Gregory the Priest (writing in the twelfth century), the continuator of Matthew of Edessa, has an earthquake on a.Arm. 605 26 October (26 October 1156), which, he says, completely overthrew ‘several towns belonging to the Muslims, within Arab territory in the region of Aleppo’, but left Christian towns unharmed. From his description it would seem that Gregory is referring to Ibn al-Qalanisi’s earthquake of 13 October 1156, although the date is a puzzle. It is possible that he has accidentally transposed the date of the 26 September 1156 event by a month, but a simple explanation is that, given the almost continuous shocks leading up to the 12 August 1157 event and its aftershocks (note that Gregory says that ‘the shocks continued without interruption until the beginning of the following year’), it cannot have been easy to pinpoint the exact dates of destructive events.

Seismic Effects
  • an earthquake was felt everywhere
  • Many Muslim towns on the confines of Arabia, near Aleppo, collapsed to their very foundations
  • But the Christians have been preserved by the Lord until the present time
  • The shocks continued without interruption until the beginning of the following year, amounting to an incalculable number over fourteen months
Locations
  • near Aleppo

Notes and Further Reading
References