551 CE Beirut Earthquake

Jeffries et al (1986:xxi) reports that everything that is known about Johannes Malalas (~491 – 578 CE) has to be gleaned from the chronicle itself, except that later writers refer to him as 'John the Rhetor', 'John Malalas' or 'Malelas', and 'John of Antioch'. Jeffries et al (1986:xxi-xxii) further reports that as a 'rhetor' or 'scholastikos' (which is the meaning of the Syriac word 'malal' from which the name Malalas is derived) Malalas possessed the education designed to equip one for the mainstream of government service, and so he was fairly well educated by contemporary standards.

His Book Chronographia was written in Greek and is a valuable and frequently unique reservoir of information however Malalas himself has been has been dismissed as entirely naive, ignorant and incompetent (Jeffries et al, 1986:xxii). For example, Olmstead (1942:22) states that John Malalas was undoubtedly the world's worst chronicler ... but [the historian] must use him for Malalas has preserved a great amount of the most important data... and Vasiliev (1958:184) characterizes his work as confused in content, mixing fables and facts, important events and minor incidents which was clearly intended not for educated readers but for the masses.

Fluent in Syriac, Latin, and Greek, Malalas was presumably educated in Antioch but at some point in his life moved to Constantinople perhaps between 535 and 540 CE (Jeffries et al, 1986:xxii). He probably continued his bureaucratic career in Constantinople until he died there in 578 CE (Jeffries et al, 1986:xxii).

His chronicle was composed and circulated in two editions. The first edition was put together in Antioch in the 530s CE and most likely reached the end of Book 17 (AD 527) (Jeffries et al, 1986:xxiii). It is not so clear where the final edition of the chronicle ended, although the most likely point is the end of Justinian's reign in 565 CE (Jeffries et al, 1986:xxiii). Presumably, everything from Book 18 forward was composed in Constantinople after 535-540 CE. Despite the chronological problems Chronographia is noted for, Malalas appears to produce accurate chronology for some earthquakes - likely due to the source(s) he accessed for the event.

• Book 18 Paragraph 112
• from Jeffreys et. al. (1986:291)

In the 14th indiction a severe and tremendous earthquake occurred throughout the land of Palestine, in Arabia and in the land of Mesopotamia, Antioch, Phoenice Maritima and Phoenice Libanensis. In this terror the following cities suffered: 'Tyre, Sidon, Berytus, Tripolis, Byblus, Botrys and parts of other cities. Large numbers of people were trapped in them. In the city of Botrys part of the mountain called Lithoprosopon, which is close to the sea, broke off and fell into the sea. The piece of mountain formed a harbour, in which very large ships were able to anchor. The city had not had a harbour in the past. The emperor sent money to all the provinces and restored parts of these cities. At the time of the earthquake the sea retreated for a mile and many ships were destroyed. Then at God's command the sea was restored to its original bed.

• See page 485
• from archive.org

• See Book 18 Paragraph 112 on Page 291
• from Jeffreys et. al. (1986:291)
• from calameo.com

Jeffreys et al (1986:xxiii) describes Malalas's sources as follows:

As indicated in its preface the chronicle may be divided, in terms of sources of information, into two parts. For the period before the emperor Zeno, Malalas had to rely on written records and therefore cites, largely at second hand, numerous Greek and Latin authors, including some that are otherwise unknown. For the period from Zeno onwards (that is, for his own lifetime), he claims reliance on oral sources of information: The preface makes specific mention of Julius Africanus, Eusebios and others, and their use in the chronicle is well signposted. These were among his major sources, along with the chroniclers Domninos and Nestorianos and the 'City Chronicles' of Antioch and Constantinople. Sources are rarely cited in Books 15-18, covering material derived from oral sources and dealing with events likely to have been within the author's personal experience. Still it is possible to identify the origin of certain portions of this material; for example, Marinos the Syrian is likely to have been the source for the rebellion of Vitalian (Bo 402.3-406.8), Julian for the embassy to the Axoumite court (Bo 456.24-459.3) and Hermogenes for the first Persian war of Justinian (Bo 445-477). In addition Malalas clearly made use of documentary sources such as imperial laws, decrees and letters (Scott, 1981 and 1985).

English translation of Malalas by Jeffreys, Jeffreys, and Scott (1986) - the relevant section is Book 18 Paragraph 112 on Page 291

Chronographia in the original Greek with a Latin translation

Greek and Latin translation of Malalas bookmarked to the 551 CE Beirut Earthquake (L.XVIII p. 485 )

Frendo (1975:ix-x) summarized Agathias of Myrina's life and works as follows:

Most of the information we possess concerning the life of Agathias derives from his own writings.

...Agathias was a native of Myrina in Asia Minor. His date of birth cannot be determined exactly but may be placed somewhere around the year 532 A.D. His father, Memnonius, was a "rhetor", a title which may imply, as has been suggested,² that he was a provincial lawyer in Myrina. His mother, Pericleia, died in Constantinople when he was only three years of age. It was probably in Constantinople too that Agathias' boyhood days were spent. He received an expensive education, studying rhetoric in Alexandria and law in Constantinople. Once qualified he practised as a lawyer in the capital where, from all accounts, he had to work hard in order to make a living. The date of his death is as uncertain as that of his birth. It must have occurred some time after the death of Chosroes (r. 531-579 CE) in 579 (the last datable event mentioned in the Histories) and before the accession of the Emperor Maurice (r. 582-602 CE) in 582 in view of the apparent ignorance of this latter event betrayed by Agathias when he refers to the future Emperor simply as "Maurice (r. 582-602 CE) the son of Paul".³ On this reckoning, then, it will be seen that he was 33 years old when Justinian (r. 527-565 CE) died in 565 and that he lived through the reign of Justin II (r. 565-578 CE) and a part of that of Tiberius II Constantine (r. 578-582 CE).

Agathias' literary activity is marked in its first and youthful phase by the production of "a number of short pieces in hexameters entitled "Daphniaca", adorned with certain amorous motifs and replete with similarly enchanting topics".⁴ The Daphniaca have not come down to us. They were probably completed before their author had reached the age of thirty.⁵ To an intermediate period belongs his work of compiling a collection of epigrams by contemporary poets, generally known as the Cycle,⁶ to which Agathias himself contributed approximately one hundred poems. This anthology was published early on in the reign of Justin II (r. 565-578 CE), probably in 567.⁷

For the work of his maturity, the Histories, Agathias was equipped neither by natural inclination nor by personal experience.⁸ His life had, it seems, been an uneventful one and the oppressive picture of routine dullness and unremitting toil conjured up by his portrayal of the busy working life of a lawyer in the capital⁹ is but slightly relieved by the recollection of a few memorable occasions — the experience of mild earth-tremors during his student days in Alexandria,¹⁰ a landing at Cos shortly after its destruction by a tidal wave and the awful scene of devastation that confronted him there¹¹, a visit to Tralles.¹² Certainly his friend and fellow poet Paul the Silentiary (d. 575-580 CE) was a man of wealth and influence who moved in court circles, but it seems that the range of Agathias' acquaintance was confined to a narrow coterie of poets and literati and there is nothing to suggest that he came into direct contact with any of the important political and military figures of his day. Moreover the lack of official patronage of which he complains so bitterly provides a further indication that he always remained something of an outsider.¹³ Agathias must have begun the writing of his Histories some time after the accession of Justin II (r. 565-578 CE). He was still writing in the reign of Tiberius (r. 578-582 CE) and it clear from IV, 22,9 and V, 25,5. that he did not live to finish them. The five books that he has left us cover a period of seven years (A.D. 552-9).

Footnotes

2 By Mrs. Cameron: op. cit. p. 4.

3 Histories IV, 29, 8.

4 Preface, 7.

5 cf. Mrs. Cameron: Op. cit. p. 9.

6 Much of it has been preserved and is to be found in the Greek Anthology.

7 cf. Mrs. Cameron: ibid.

8 He himself claims that he turned to the writing of history partly in response to his friends' encouragement (Preface, 11—12) and confesses that he found the prospect daunting but took comfort in the thought that history and poetry had much in common.

9 Histories III, 1,4.

10 Histories II, 15,5—8.

11 Histories II, 16,4—6.

12 Histories II, 17,6.

13 cf. Preface 18—20. An unmistakeable note of personal bitterness is struck in Histories V20,7.

• Volume 2 Book 2
• from Frendo (1975:47-48)

In summer time, roughly during the same period [551 A.D.] there was a violent earthquake in Constantinople and in many parts of the Empire, with the result that several cities both on the islands and the mainland were razed to the ground and their inhabitants wiped out. The lovely city of Berytus [Beirut], the jewel of Phoenicia, was completely ruined and its world famous architectural treasures were reduced to a heap of rubble, practically nothing but the bare pavements of the buildings being left.

Many of the local inhabitants were crushed to death under the weight of the wreckage, as were many cultivated young men of distinguished parentage who had come there to study the Law. There was, in fact, a long tradition of legal studies in the city, and the law schools conferred an aura of peculiar privilege and distinction on the place.

At this point, then, the professors of law moved to the neighbouring city of Sidon and the schools were transferred there, until Berytus was rebuilt. The restored city was very different from what it had been in the past, though it was not changed beyond recognition, since it still preserved a few traces of its former self. But this rebuilding of the city and the subsequent return of the schools was not to take place for some time yet.

At that time also some slight tremors were felt in the great metropolis of Alexandria on the Nile, an altogether unusual occurrence for those parts. All the inhabitants and particularly the very old were amazed at this apparently unprecedented phenomenon. Nobody stayed indoors. The populace congregated in the streets, seized with unwarranted panic at the suddenness and novelty of the event.

I myself was in Alexandria at the time completing the prescribed studies [Probably a training in rhetoric, as Mrs. Cameron points out (op. cit. pp. 140—141)] which lead to the law course proper, and I must confess I was quite overcome with fear considering the faintness of the tremors. What really worried me, though, was the fact that people's houses there are not at all strongly-built and quite incapable of standing up to even a small amount of vibration, being frail and flimsy structures consisting of a single thickness of stone.

There was alarm even among the educated section of the community not, I think, at what had actually taken place, but because it seemed reasonable to expect that the same thing would happen again

• see p. 95-98 starting with 15. Sub idem fere tempus
• from archive.org

Frendo, J. D. (1975). The Histories, de Gruyter.

Agathias' account in Greek with a Latin translation bookmarked to the relevant pages (95-98)

Simeon Stylites the Younger was an ascetic monk and reputed mystic (eventually elevated to sainthood) who ran a monastery, spent a lot of time living on top of a pillar, and reportedly saw visions of the future. He lived in the 6th century CE. Hagiographical (i.e. biographies of a "saint") books were written about his life.

• from Guidoboni et al (1994) citing Van der Ven (1962)

The next day, at about the tenth hour, the whole land was shaken by a terrible earthquake, of a kind unknown to past generations, and the towns and villages of the coast collapsed in ruins, in accordance with the vision of Symeon, and the mountains were uprooted and violently split open, and chasms opened up in the earth in various places. The sea receded for many hours, and ships broke up as they violently struck the land. However, the region to the north, from Laodicea to Antioch, remained standing, and only a few towers and church walls were damaged, but as St. Symeon had said, no buildings collapsed, and the area to the south from Tyre to Jerusalem was also preserved, just as Symeon had seen in his vision.

VanDenVen, Paul. The Ancient Life Of S. Symeon Stylite The Younger: (521 - 592). Ploughshare. des Bollandistes, 1962.

Ex eventu prophecies frequently contain valuable information about natural disasters because

1. rewrites after the fact "improve" the accuracy of the prophecy
2. there is likely a tendency towards selective preservation of prophecies that came true

Brock (1979:6-7) described John of Ephesus (c.507-c.508) and his works as follows:

John of Amid, appointed bishop of Ephesus and Asia in 542, wrote towards the end of his life two works of the greatest importance for sixth century history, the Lives of the Eastern Saints (written 566-8; published by Brooks with an English translation in PO 17-19), and an Ecclesiastical History in three parts. As an independent work only Part III (written over the decade 575-585) survives, virtually complete. The original work consisted of:

• Part I : this covered from the late first century BC to AD 449, although for the period from Caesar to Constantine it appears to have contained no more than just a catalogue of emperors.
• Part II : this spanned the period 449 to 571. Some quite long extracts given in London Add. 14650 of AD 874/5: were printed by Land in Anecdota Syriaca II, 289-329; the variant readings of this manuscript are given by Chabot in his edition of the Zuqnin Chronicle at the appropriate places (this chronicle, together with other later chronicles, made very extensive use of John's work). Excerpts from various other manuscripts, deriving from this lost part, were published by Brooks in CSCO 104/53. pp. 402 - 17(10).
• Part III : this final part, covering from 571 to at least 585, is preserved almost complete in a seventh century manuscript, London Add. 14640 (some of the gaps in the manuscript can be filled in from excerpts from John's work in the later chroniclers). The Syriac text of this part was first edited by W. Cureton in 1853, and then reedited by Brooks in CSCO 105/54 (1935). There exist English, German and Latin translations: the English by R. Payne Smith (I860), who reorders the sequence of the chapters; the German by J.M. Schonfelder (1862), and the Latin by E. W. Brooks in CSCO 106/55 (1936). Of these that by Brooks is the most reliable.

There are two old monographs in John's Ecclesiastical History, by J.P.N. Land (1856, in Dutch), and by Diakonov (1908, in Russian)

• from Guidoboni et al (1994)

In the year 870 [of the Greeks; i.e. 558-559 AD.], there was a severe earthquake, and Beirut collapsed, as did many coastal cities and villages in Galilee, Arabia, Palestine and Samaria. Along the whole Phoenician coast, too, the sea withdrew and retreated nearly two miles. As for the terrible disaster and the great and remarkable portent which happened in the city of Beirut in Phoenicia, when the earthquake took place and the cities collapsed, we have decided to make it a warning sign for the knowing of posterity. For when the earthquake came from heaven, the sea withdrew and retreated from Beirut and the other coastal cities of Phoenicia for a distance of nearly two miles; the dreadful depths of the sea became visible and various and amazing sights were revealed: sunken ships full of different cargoes and other ones which suddenly, when the sea withdrew from the land, were moored in the harbours, settled on the ground and they were broken to pieces when the sea left them and withdrew on God's command [.. ]

Then, by a secret command, a tremendous surge of the sea rushed up to return to its original depth, overwhelmed and consumed all these wretched people in the depths of its swirling waters. They had rushed to find wealth in the depths of the sea and, like Pharaoh, they went down to the depths and were drowned like stones, as it is written; and God rolled the waters of the sea over them, as the flood burst forth and flowed back to its former abundance. Those who were still on the edge of the shore were hurrying to go down; when they saw the deep sea rushing back to its former position, those who were closest to the land fled out. But after they had escaped, as if from hunters, a violent earthquake took place, which overturned houses in the cities, especially at Beirut; they fell and crushed those who had escaped from the sea and so nobody survived. As the sea was rising up against them from behind, the earthquake brought down the city in front of them.

Guidoboni et al (1994) speculated that John of Ephesus was probably using the original version of Malalas.

John of Ephesus, Ecclesiastical History — Fragments of Part II, ed. J.P.N.Land, in Anecdota Syriaca, 2, Leiden 1868, pp.289-329; Latin trans. by W.J.Van Douwen and J.P.N.Land, Ioannis Ephesini episcopi Commentarii de beatis orientalibus et Historiae ecclesiasticae fragmenta (= Verhandelingen van de Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen. Afdeeling Letterkunde, 18), Amsterdam 1889, pp.216-243. Part III, ed. E.W.Brooks, csco 105 Syr. 54, Louvain 1935; Latin trans. by E.W.Brooks, csco 106 Syr. 55, Louvain 1936.

John Eph.: Johan of Ephesus, NA, ed. Nau, Analyse de la seconde partie in ´ edite de l’histoire ´ eccl ´ esiastique de Jean ´ d’Asie, ROC, Paris, Serie 1, vol. 2, 1897; BR, ed. and ´ trans. Brooks, Joannis Ephesini Historiae Ecclesiasticae; selections in J. P. N. Land, Joannes, Bischof von Ephesos, der erste syrische Kirchenhistoriker, 1856, and Corp. Script. Christ. Orient., Script. Syr., no. 106, Syr. 55, Louvain, 1936.

John of Ephesus, Ecclesiastical History — Fragments of Part II, ed. J.P.N.Land, in Anecdota Syriaca, 2, Leiden 1868, pp.289-329 - online open access at google books

R. Payne Smith (1860) THE THIRD PART OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY OF JOHN BISHOP OF EPHESUS, Oxford at the University Press

Latin and Syriac of John of Ephesus, Ecclesiastical History by Land (1868)

The Anonymous Itinerarium (erroneously) attributed to Antoninus of Piacenza, written in Latin by an anonymous author, describes a journey taken in the 6th century CE. Guidoboni et al (1994) date the composition of this text to ~560-570 CE. Ambraseys (2009) suggested that the writer must have visited the area after AD 565, since he refers to an earthquake 'in the time of Justinian'.

• from Stewart (1885:1-3)

Thence we came into the parts of Syria, to the island of Antaradus¹ and thence we came to Tripolis² in Syria, where St. Leontius rests, which city, together with some others, was destroyed by an earthquake in the time of the Emperor Justinian³. Thence we came to Byblus⁴, which city also was destroyed with its inhabitants ; and likewise to the city of Trieris⁵, which also was similarly destroyed. Next we came to the most magnificent city of Berytus⁶, in which there was recently a school of literature, and which also was destroyed. We were told by the bishop of the city, who knew the sufferers personally, that, without counting strangers, thirty thousand persons⁷, in round numbers, here miserably perished. The city itself lies at the foot of Lebanon. ... From Berytus we came to Sidon, [now Saida] which itself was partly ruined, and which is near to the slope of Lebanon. The people in it are very wicked.

• see bottom of page 1 starting with Thence we came into the parts of Syria
• from Stewart (1885:1-3)
• from archive.org

Aubrey Stewart (trans.), Of the Holy Places Visited by Antoninus Martyr, Palestine Pilgrims' Text Society, 1887

P. Geyer (ed.), in Itineraria et alia geographica, Corpus Christianorum series Latina, Volume 175 (Turnhout: Brepols, 1965), pp. 129–53.

Ambraseys (2009) supplied the following discussion about this source:

The only original Latin source for this event is an itinerary attributed to Antoninus of Placentia (Piacenza), dating from the sixth century AD. The writer must have visited the area after AD 565, since he refers to an earthquake 'in the time of Justinian' He must have, therefore, visited not long after this, for he was told of it by the Bishop of Berytus, who was probably an eye-witness, and he also records that Sidon is described as ruined in part. In addition to noting that Tripoli and Byblus collapsed, and that at least 30,000 people died in Beirut, he mentions that a place called Trianis collapsed in the earthquake. The location of this town is not certain, but it seems to have been somewhere between Botrys and Tripoli; al-Heri in the bay of Shekka has been suggested, as has Enfe, on the coast 20 km southwest of Tripoli, or Shamarra (Stein 1950, ii, 757 n. 5).

Gatier (1983:33-34) states that Romanos Melodos (late 5th c. - after 555 CE) was born in Emesa (Homs, Syria) and was a deacon in Beirut before he moved to Constantinople during the reign of Anastasius I (r. 491-518 CE). Romanos was a noted Hymnographer and Composer.

• Hymn 51 (LI) in Volume 5
• from Grosdidier de Matons (1981:310-311)

Hymn : Of the Ten Virgins
Date : Holy Tuesday

...

9

The night before the night, and before the shadows darkness has suddenly seized all men, and now we are as of old the Egyptians imprisoned in the cloud of plagues, storm of earthquakes, darkness of wars^l. And wrath will not be satisfied with this: the Red Sea awaits all men², Gehenna there, not temporarily, but for eternity. For Jesus our Savior was greatly irritated that they had not believed in him when he was working miracles. So he in return visited with scourges the iniquities of the unbelievers, so that at least at this price we are convinced and proclaim: "Open"

• Hymn 51 (LI) in Volume 5
• from Grosdidier de Matons (1981:310-311)

HYMNE des Dix vierges (l^er hymne)
DATE : Mardi Saint

...

9

La nuit avant la nuit, et avant les ombres l'obscurité ont saisi brusquement tous les hommes, et maintenant nous sommes comme jadis les Égyptiens emprisonnés dans la nuée des plaies, la tempête des tremblements de terre, les ténèbres des guerres^l. Et de cela la colère ne sera pas satisfaite : la mer Rouge attend tous les hommes², la géhenne de là-bas, non point temporairement, mais pour l'éternité. Car Jésus notre sauveur fut grandement irrité de ce qu'on n'avait pas cru en lui alors qu'il faisait des miracles. Aussi a-t-il en retour visité avec des fouets les iniquités des incroyants, pour qu'au moins à ce prix nous soyons convaincus et clamions : « Ouvre »

Gatier P.L. 1984, Tremblements du sol et frissons des hommes. Trois seismes en Orient sous Anastase, in Tremblements de terre..., pp.87-94.

Pierre-Louis Gatier, 1983 , Un séisme élément de datation de l'œuvre de Romanos le Melode, Journal des Savants 1-3 pp. 229-238

Grosdidier de Matons J. 1981, Romanos le Melode. Hymnes tome v, Paris.

I can't currently find any background information on Fragmenta Historica Tusculana.

• from Ambraseys (2009)

And in that year of the reign of our most august ruler, in the month of July, on the 6th day, in the 14th indiction, a great and terrible earthquake happened in all the Eastern region, that is in Arabia, the whole of Palestine, and in the land of Mesopotamia and of Antiochia. And many cities of the Phoenician littoral collapsed, viz. Tyre, Sidon, Berytus, Tripolis, Biblus (sic.) and Botrys, and other cities; and of the surrounding villages 101 fell, and multitudes of men were crushed in these cities. And in the city of Botrys a part of the adjacent mountain called the Face of Stone split away, and fell into the sea, creating a harbour, so that [the greatest ships] could be moored within it. (FHT 4/1821-1824).

Ambraseys (2009) suggests that this passage in Fragmenta Historica Tusculana was derived from an earlier version of Malalas.

Fragmenta Historica Tusculana, in Fragmenta Res Gestes, PG 85, 1864.

Fragmenta historica Tusculana, ed. A.Mai, 1808-26

This Syriac text also known as the Chronicle of Zuqnin is now thought to have been composed by a monk from the Zuqnin monastery rather than Dionysius of Tell-Mahre - hence the cognomen Pseudo-Dionysius of Tell-Mahre. Parts 3 and 4 cover events from 488 - 775 CE. There is apparently a debate over its date of composition with some scholars suggesting it was composed in the 9th century CE rather than the late 8th century CE as the text would indicate - it ends in 775 CE. Harrak (1999) opines on the opening page of his translation that it was composed in 775 CE by a West Syrian Monk - probably Joshua (the Stylite) of the monastery of Zuqnin. The work is preserved in a single handwritten manuscript (Cod. Vat. 162), now in the Vatican (shelf mark Vatican Syriac 162).

• Parts 3 and 4
• from Harrak (1999:125-131)

The year 864 [552-553]:

Extensive and severe earthquakes took place in which many |cities and villages| in the land of Syria collapsed¹

In the month of Haziran (June) of this year, a severe and powerful earthquake occurred, in addition to the other ones. Numerous cities collapsed, as did the cities of Phoenicia — that is Arabia and Palestine, Beirut, Tripolis, Tyre, Sidon, Sarepta, Byblos, Antarados, and the rest of their towns, villages and districts fell and were ruined. Because of sins, many people were buried in their houses in the wrath, as were the cattle and other things.

...

The year 868 [556-557]:²

A powerful earthquake took place in which the city of Botrys³ collapsed.⁴ And the great mountain that was called the "Stone Face"⁵ broke off and fell in the sea. So when Botrys of Phoenicia, which is on the seashore, collapsed in the powerful earthquake, the great mountain close to it, called the "Stone Face," suddenly shook and was rent from the violence of the quake. A big portion detached from it and fell in the sea, and the earthquake sent it out further to sea. It came down and obstructed much of the front of the city, with the sea moving inside it. It had one passage on one side that became a great and admirable harbour; /p.133/ neither centenaria of gold nor the diligence of kings could build one like it. It became such a great and spacious harbour that accommodated inside it great ships, that everyone was marvelling and admiring God's providence, for even in his wrath graces are mixed. As for Justinian the Emperor, he sent ample gold to all the cities that had collapsed in the earthquake. And little by little they were rebuilt and their walls were repaired, while the evil will of those who survived neither changed nor weakened substantially.

...

The year 870 [558-559]:⁶

A powerful earthquake took place, and Beirut as well as many other coastal cities and villages in Galilee, Arabia, Palestine and Samaria collapsed. Also the sea retreated and drew back for about two miles, all along Phoenicia.

We wanted to put into writing, for the instruction of future generations, an account of the terrible disaster and the great and wondrous sign that occurred in Beirut, a city in Phoenicia, when the earthquake took place and cities collapsed. /p.134/ For when the terrible earthquake suddenly happened, the sea from the city of Beirut and the other cities along the seashore of Phoenicia, fell back, withdrew, retreated and fled away as far as two miles in distance, at God's command. Thus the awesome depths of the sea became visible, and many great and amazing objects were seen. Ships loaded with various cargoes sunk. Others, moored in the harbours, due to the sudden withdrawal of the sea from the land, went down and settled on the bottom, after they had collided and broken up, when the sea left them and pulled back at the command of its Lord.

Since this terrible disaster was meant to shock people, in order that it might lead them to grief and repentance, they should have despised not only material things but especially their own lives, in view of this horrible spectacle of wrath, that they witnessed. But they behaved like Pharaoh; their hearts were hardened like Pharaoh's, not by God, as it is written,⁷ but here by Satan. The inhabitants of coastal cities and villages, with determined insolence and hardness of heart, rushed into the great sea in order to pillage impressive, hidden treasures that were at the bottom of the sea, because of the beguiling avarice that was destroying their lives. As thousands of people, with fatal passion, rushed to the bottom of the sea and began to carry off treasures, hurrying to bring them up, others, when they saw those carrying the wealth of their perdition, rushed with great eagerness so as not to be deprived of the hidden treasures that had suddenly come to light because of the earthquake.

While some were rushing down to the bottom, /p.135/ and while others were busy above, and still others were doing their best in between, and while all of them without distinction were walking along proudly, then, at an invisible sign, the immensity of the terrible sea suddenly ran to return to its former depths, engulfing and burying in the abyss of its immense depths all those wretched ones, who pursued wealth from the great deep. Like Pharaoh, they went down to the bottom and sank like stones, as it is written.⁸ The Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, when the stream resumed its way and returned to its former depth. When those who were still on the outer shore began a hasty descent, those close to the dry land retreated, upon seeing the immense height of the sea rushing back to its former bed. While they were trying to escape, as it were from hunters, a severe earthquake occurred, which shook the buildings of the cities, especially those of Beirut. They collapsed and crushed those who fled from the sea while not one of them survived. For when the sea rose up against them from behind, the earthquake shook the city before them. Because of their evil avarice, they were caught in the middle of two horrors, for the priestly word is also fulfilled upon them: Though they were saved from the sea, justice did not allow them to live.⁹

Thus those who went down after wealth were reduced to complete destruction. They destroyed the breath of their lives and their corpses were found floating on the surface of the water like litter. Then when the city collapsed, fire at God's command kindled its ruins and burned /p.136/ and blazed inside the ruins for up to two months, until even the stones burned*t and turned into lime. Afterwards, God sent down rain from the sky for three days and three nights and extinguished the fire that blazed in the city of Beirut. And those who had escaped from drowning in the sea and from the downfall of the city, were cast away in the city, while injured, troubled and tormented by thirst because its aqueduct was destroyed. When the merciful Emperor Justinian heard about (this), he sent gold and some of his well-known people, and they uncovered and exhumed countless human corpses; they also rebuilt part of the city.

• not bookmarked
• manuscript copy made for Chabot at the end of the 19th century CE
• from archive.org

Annals by Dionysius of Tell-Mahre and Annals by Pseudo-Dionysius of Tell-Mahre are not the same work nor were they composed by the same author. Annals by Dionysius of Tell-Mahre is largely lost. It only exists in fragments. Annals by Pseudo-Dionysius of Tell-Mahre is extant. Annals by Pseudo-Dionysius of Tell-Mahre is also known as the Chronicle of Zuqnin as it is thought to have been composed by a monk at the monastery of Zuqnin before it was falsley attributed to Dionysius of Tell-Mahre - hence the reason why the author is referred to as Pseudo-Dionysius of Tell-Mahre. To complicate matters further, Chabot (1895) published a French translation of Annals by Pseudo-Dionysius of Tell-Mahre which he mistakenly titled Annals by Dionysius of Tell-Mahre. Well, it was actually titled Annals by Denys of Tell-Mahre which is another name for Dionysius of Tell-Mahre.

The sole surviving manuscript at the Vatican (Cod. Vat. 162) - This manuscript is claimed by some to be the autograph - the first draft of the manuscript. No further recension, or copy, is known.

Annals Part by Pseudo-Dionysius of Tell-Mahre in Syriac at archive.org

Harrak (2017:xvi) notes major sources identified in Parts I and II of the Zugnin Chronicle had been discussed in great detail by Witakowski.

Witakowski, Study, p. 124-135

Witakowski, "The Sources of Pseudo-Dionysius of Tel-Mahre for the Second Part of his Chronicle," in J.O. Rosenqvist (ed.), AEIMΩN Studies Presented to Lennart Ryden on his Sixty-Fifth Birthday (Uppsala, 1996), pp. 181-210

Witakowski, "Sources of Pseudo-Dionysius of Tel-Mahre for the Christian Epoch of the First Part of his Chronicle," in G.J. Reinink and A.C. Klugkist (eds.), After Bardaisan: Studies on Continuity and Change in Syriac Christianity in Honour of Professor Han J.W. Drijvers (Leuven: Uitgeverij Peeters en Department Oosterse Studies, 1999), pp. 329-366.

Pseudo-Dionysius of Tell-Mahre at syri.ac

Wikipedia page for the Zunqin Chronicle - many links and references

Theophanes (c. 758/60-817/8) wrote the Chronicle in Greek during the years 810-815 CE as a continuation of George Syncellus' Chronicle. Theophanes' Chronicle covers the period from 284 CE, where the Chronicle of George Synkellos ends, until 813 CE (Neville, 2018:61). Neville (2018:61) notes that Theophanes explains that George had asked him to complete the task of compiling the history and had given Theophanes the materials he had gathered. Neville (2018:61) describes Theophanes' Chronicle as follows:

It is one of few Byzantine texts that is a true chronicle, in that it enumerates every year, and lists events for each year. The entry for each year begins with a listing of the year of the world, the year since the Incarnation, the regnal year of the Roman Emperor, the Persian Emperor, and the bishops of Rome, Constantinople, Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch. After the conquest of the Persian Empire, it uses years of the rulers of the Arabs in place of the Persian Emperors. Despite the impression of chronological accuracy, many of these dates are mistaken. Scholars also debate whether these dates were integral to Theophanes’ original Chronicle or were added by a later copyist.

Mango and Scott (1997:xci) characterize Theophanes' Chronicle as a "file" of sources and list at least 17 sources which informed his Chronicle (Mango and Scott, 1997:lxxiv-lxxxii). Hoyland (2011:10) noted that Theophanes made extensive use of an "eastern source" for events in Muslim-ruled lands during the the time period of the 630s-740s and continued to narrate events occurring in Muslim-ruled lands, until ca. 780 either making use of another chronicle for these three decades or, more likely, [] had at his disposal a continuation of the ‘eastern source’. Theophanes' ‘eastern source’ has been the source of much scholarly investigation and debate.

• from Mango and Scott (1997:331-332)

[AM 6043, AD 550/551]

Justinian, 24th year
Chosroes, 26th year
Vigilius, 13th year
Menas, 14th year
Peter, 6th year
Apolinarios, 2nd year
Domnus, 6th year

In April [1] of this year, of the 14th indiction, Narses, the cubicularius, was sent to Rome with instructions to make war on the Goths who had regained Rome. For after Belisarius had won the city, the Goths had risen up and recaptured it. [2] On 9 July [3] there was a severe and frightful earthquake throughout Palestine, Arabia, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Phoenicia. The following cities suffered: Tyre, Sidon, Berytos, Tripolis, and Byblos, and a great many people perished therein. In the city of Botrys, a large piece of the mountain called Lithoprosopon, which lies close to the sea, was broken off and thrown into the sea, so forming a harbour big enough for many large ships to moor there,- for previously that city had not had a harbour. The emperor sent money for restoring what had fallen in these cities. The sea retreated one mile towards the deep and many ships were lost. Later, at God's command, it returned to its own bed.

Year	Reference	Corrections	Notes
9 July 550 or 551 CE	On 9 July A.M.a 6043	none	A.M.a 6043 corresponds to 25 Mar. 550 to 24 Mar. 551 CE using Grumel's MA synchronism. For the month of July this puts the year in 550 CE. If, however, Theophanes used the MB synchronism, as may be suggested by the indiction, A.M.a 6043 corresponds to 1 Sept. 550 to 31 Aug. 551 CE. For the month of July this would put the year in 551 CE. Calculated with CHRONOS
9 July 551 CE	14th indiction	none	14th indiction equates to 1 Sept. 550 to 31 Aug. 551 CE which for the month of July leads to 551 CE Calculated with CHRONOS
9 July 550 CE	Justinian, 24th year	none	Justinian's reign began on 1 April 527 CE which places his 24th year to between 1 Apr. 550 and 30 Mar. 551 CE. For the month of July, this equates to 550 CE Calculated with CHRONOS Russell (1985), for reasons unstated and unknown, calculated that the 24th year of Justinian's reign spanned from Aug. 550 - July 551 Ambraseys (2009) noted that the 24th year of Justinian's reign is one year too low (ie 550 CE).
9 July 557 CE	Chosroes, 26th year	none	Reign began on 13 September 531 CE. 26th year would span from 13 Sept. 556 to 12 Sept. 557 CE and lands on 557 CE in July Calculated with CHRONOS
9 July 549 CE	Vigilius, 13th year	none	Papacy began 29 March 537. 13th year would span from 29 Mar. 549 to 28 Mar. 550 CE and lands on 549 CE in July Calculated with CHRONOS
9 July 549/550 CE	Menas, 14th year	none	Patriarch of Constantinople starting in 536 CE. 14th year could span from 1 Jan. 549 to 30 Dec. 530 CE which makes 549 and 550 CE both possible Calculated with CHRONOS
severe outlier - useless date	Peter, 6th year	none	Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem 524-552 CE but died in 544 CE (?). 6th year of a reign starting in 524 CE could span from 1 Jan. 529 to 30 Dec. 530 CE which makes no sense Calculated with CHRONOS
9 July 552/553 CE	Apolinarios, 2nd year	none	Greek Patriarch of Alexandria ruled from 551-569 CE. 2nd year could span from 1 Jan. 552 to 30 Dec. 553 CE which makes 552 and 553 CE both possible Calculated with CHRONOS
9 July 551/552 CE	Domnus, 6th year	none	Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch ruled from 546-561 CE. 6th year could span from 1 Jan. 551 to 30 Dec. 552 CE which makes 551 and 552 CE both possible Calculated with CHRONOS
550/551 CE	Narses sent to Rome	none	See Footnote 1 from Mango and Scott (1997)'s translation (repeated below) Footnote 1 from Mango and Scott (1997)'s translation [1] Mai. frag. Tusc. iv. 26 gives the date as April of the 13th indiction, and Mai.'s indiction dates (esp. those from the Tusculan frags.) should normally be preferred. In that case Narses went to Italy in 550 and not 551 (as Bury, Stein, and PLRE maintain, all ultimately dependent on O. Korbs, Untersuchungen zur ostgotischen Geschichte, vol. i (Jena, 1913), 81, 84-6) and the chronology of Narses' campaign in Italy needs revision. Prok.'s detailed narrative, however, linking Narses' movements with the death of Germanus, provides strong support for 551. Assuming Theoph.'s source here did read indiction 13 (rightly or wrongly), he will have changed the indiction number because he had already reached June of the 13th indiction (the dedication of the Holy Apostles) and so puts a following April into the next year. Cf. AM 6040 for the same technique.

Conterno (2014:106-107) considers the following regarding reports of natural phenomenon in Theophanes:

However, in examining this type of information two aspects must be kept in mind: on the one hand the fact that they represented the main content of the chronological lists linked to the city archives, on the other hand the fact that events of this type could very likely be the subject of independent recording by several sources and, especially in the case of the most impressive phenomena, their memory could also be passed down orally for a long time. The importance of the registers of the archives of Antioch and Edessa in relation to the Syriac and Greek chronicles was highlighted by Muriel Debié. As emerges from one of his studies, in fact, the registers of documents kept in the city and patriarchal archives - the so-called "archive books" - probably also contained annotations, in calendar or annalistic form, of the most relevant local events, references to which they could be contained in the documents and administrative acts themselves: construction of buildings, destruction due to wars or fires and floods, natural disasters and exceptional events of various kinds (plagues, famines, eclipses and other astronomical phenomena ...)

From these registers, short chronological lists were extracted and circulated independently and from which authors of both Greek and Syriac chronicles could draw, as can be seen from the testimony of Giovanni Malalas. To these must also be added the episcopal lists, lists of rulers and lists of synods and councils, and it is precisely to these thematic lists, which circulated independently and in different versions, that the material centered on Edessa, Antioch and Amida which is found in the later chronicles. According to Debié, any dating discrepancies found in the various chronicles can be attributed, on the one hand, to the fact that the chroniclers had different lists available and often crossed the data from the lists with those taken from other chronicles; on the other hand, the probable difficulties encountered by chroniclers in matching the different dating systems or in obtaining absolute datings from chrono related logies, or even to their precise intention to modify the chronological data for ideological reasons. Debié therefore hypothesizes a large production and circulation of these lists, which in fact constituted a concrete form of scheduling relevant events at the local level, primarily for practical purposes. Being instruments of use rather than compositions of a historiographical nature, they were not intended to cover very large periods, but were rather relatively short clips. An aspect that emerges clearly from his study, moreover, is that in these lists the relative chronology was just as and perhaps more important than the absolute one, since the fixing of memorable facts and their concatenation was essentially aimed at establish reference points for the chronological location of other events.

Brooks, E. W. (1906). "The sources of Theophanes and the Syriac chroniclers." Byzantinische Zeitschrift 15(2): 578-587.

Conterno, M. (2014). La “descrizione dei tempi” all’alba dell’espansione islamica Un’indagine sulla storiografia greca, siriaca e araba fra VII e VIII secolo, De Gruyter.

Grumel, V. (1958). La chronologie, Presses Universitaires de France.

Hoyland, R. G. (2011). Theophilus of Edessa's Chronicle and the Circulation of Historical Knowledge in Late Antiquity and Early Islam, Liverpool University Press.

Mango, C., et al. (1997). The Chronicle of Theophanes Confessor: Byzantine and Near Eastern history, AD 284-813, Clarendon Press.

Proudfoot, A. S. (1974). "THE SOURCES OF THEOPHANES FOR THE HERACLIAN DYNASTY." Byzantion 44(2): 367-439.

Turtledove, H. (1982). "The Chronicle Of Theophanes, Trans. By Harry Turtledove ( 1982)."

Proudfoot (1974:374) noted that while Theophanes used the Alexandrian Anno Mundi system, it is unknown whether he started his years on 25 March as would be done for the Alexandrian version or 1 September as was done in the Byzantine method of Anno Mundi. Although the Alexandrian Anno Mundi system was being replaced by the Byzantine system when Theophanes wrote (and would be obsolete by the 9th century CE), Theophanes used the Alexandrian Anno Mundi system because his chronicle was a continuation of George Syncellus Chronicle which had used the the Alexandrian system.

Despite the popularity of his Chronicle, little is known about Georgios Monachus (George the Monk) who was also known as George Hamartolus (George the Sinner). His Chronicle covers "Creation" until 842 CE (Neville, 2018:87). Neville (2018:87-88) noted the following about George's Chronicle

The work is notable for including numerous amusing and moralizing stories, many of which do not have much to do with specific historical events. In some cases, we can tell that the author highlighted moral lessons to be drawn from an episode, but disregarded the chronological placement of the episode within his source material. George has been characterized as a “short-story” writer. By one count, the text includes forty-four discrete stories about bishops, monks, the destiny of the soul, heroic chastity and martyrdom, and pagans, Jews, and iconoclasts.

George wrote the Chronicle in Greek in the last half of the 9th century CE. There are two variants of the text (Neville, 2018:87). Eduard von Muralt published a full volume of the text which was reprinted in Patrologia Graeca Volume 100.

• from von Muralt (1863:794)

The greatest and most universal earthquake struck such that almost the entire uninhabited earth shook. The sea rose two miles and the waters attacked very many - innumerable - ships. The earthquake struck in Arabia and Palestine and Mesopotamia and in Antioch. Many cities and forts were swallowed up and with them, many humans and animals. At the same time, many churches and houses in Constantinople fell along with the greater part of the fortifications of the city. Innumerable people died in this calamity. The earthquake lasted 40 days and nights.

• from von Muralt (1863:794)

Sed el terrae motus factus est maximus et universalis, ita ut tota fere inhabitata terra contremisceret et mare ad duo millia ascenderet, destruerenturque in aquarum impetu permulta innumeraque navigia, et in Arabia, et Palaestina et Mesopotamia, et Αntiochia multae urbes vicique absorberentur. Et multitudo hominum el animalium simul correpta est, et Coustantinopoli multae ecclesiae ac domus cum majori parte moenium urbis corruerunt. Et mortua est in hac calamitate innumera multitudo. Et duravit terrae motus dies noctesque quadraginta.

Chronicle by Georgius Monachus in Greek and Latin

Patrologia Graeca 110 - Georgius Monachus in Latin and Greek translated by Eduard von Muralt

Neville (2018:162-163) provides a succinct description of George Cedrenus (~11th century CE) and Synopsis istorion (aka A Concise History of the World)

In the late eleventh or early twelfth century, extant histories were combined and edited to compile a massive unified history from Creation to 1057, entitled the Synopsis istorion. The opening of the text names its author as George Kedrenos. A poem describing the history, found in a later manuscript of the text, says that George was a proedrus. This history was written after that of John Skylitzes in the late eleventh century, and before our oldest manuscript, which is stylistically dated to the first half of the twelfth.

For the years 811– 1057, the Kedrenos text copied the history by John Skylitzes precisely. For the period prior to 811 it extracts the histories of Pseudo-Symeon, Symeon the Logothete, and George the Monk. For the sixth and seventh centuries he used the Chronicle of Pseudo-Symeon, which was relying on Theophanes.

Although Kedrenos does not provide any independent information about the past, and often clings to the wording of texts he is compiling, his editorial choices can vary the meanings and implications of the stories he preserves. Scott and Maisano argue that his choices regarding the inclusion and framing of his material display his ideas about history.

• from Niebuhr (1839:659)

Year 24

... On the 9th day of July, a terrible earthquake struck all over - in Palestine, Arabia, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Phoenicia such that many towns and villages were destroyed or damaged and many people died. In the City of Botryos which means "cluster of grapes" a large part of Lithoprosopus, the name of the mountain next to the city, slid down into the sea and created a harbor capable of receiving many large ships that could not dock there before. The water also withdrew for a mile out to sea and then by command flowed back.

• from Niebuhr (1839:659)

Anno 24 missus est Narses cubicularius Romam ad debellandum Gotthos. name post receptan Romam a Belisario Gotthi denuo rebellarant urbemque occuparant. nona Iulii dio terribilis motus terrae fuit per universam Palaestinam Arabiam Mesopotamiam Syriam et Phoeniciam, qui multis urbibus damna intulit permultosque mortales perdidit. in urbe uae Botryos (hoc est uvae) dicitur, magna pars mentis qui mari adiacet, nomine Lithoprosopos, avulsa in mare decidit magnumque effecit portum, multis magnis navibus recipiendis ideneum, cum ante urbs ea portu caruisset. mare quoque in altum recessit ad mille passus rursumque dei iussu refluxit. Augusto mense nuntius Roma de victoria Narsetis allatus est, nempe Romanos rege Totila oociso Roman recepisse.

• see p. 659 starting with Anno 24
• from Niebuhr (1839:659)
• from archive.org

Niebuhr, B. G. (1839). Corpus scriptorum historiae Byzantinae, Impensis ed. Weberi.

Medieval (Byzantine) Greek Reading Group at the University of Melbourne where an English translation of Cedrenus is apparently close to completion - has lots of useful Cedrenus related links

Michael the Syrian also known as Michael I Rabo and Michael the Great was born in Melitene from a clerical family in 1126 CE (Dorothea Weltecke in Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition, 2011). He studied at the Monastery of Dayro d-Mor Barṣawmo where he stayed on as a Monk and a Prior. In 1166, he was elected Patriarch of the Syrian Orthodox Church. While acting as Partriach he collected manuscripts of theological and historical content and restored and compiled hagiographical and liturgical works (Dorothea Weltecke in Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition, 2011). Dorothea Weltecke in Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition (2011) reports that his canonistic work is partly conserved in later collections, but the greater part is lost, as is his treatise on dualist heresies composed for the Lateran Council. Michael the Syrian is best known for his Universal Chronicle which covered "creation" until 1195 CE (Dorothea Weltecke in Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition, 2011). Dorothea Weltecke in Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition (2011) describes Michael's Chronicle and various editions as follows:

The text is not preserved in its entirety, and the layout of Michael’s chronicle was distorted through the process of copying. Chabot’s edition is a facsimile of a documentary copy written for him in Edessa (Urfa) from 1897 to 1899. While the scribes tried to imitate the layout, a number of mistakes were introduced. Its Vorlage, the only extant ms., was written in 1598 by a very competent scribe. It is kept by the community of the Edessenians in Aleppo. In view of the loss of the original, this beautiful manuscript is the best witness for the layout of the chronicle. Fortunately it will soon be made available in print. This ms. was probably the Vorlage for an Arabic translation, which also sought to preserve some of the visual features, while changing others. The Arabic translation has much the same lacunae as the Syriac text. By comparing his version with the Arabic translation preserved in ms. London, Brit. Libr. Or. 4402 (which is one of several Arabic copies), Chabot detected some details lost in the Syriac text. No further research has been done so far on this problem.

The historical material was originally organized in four columns, the first being designated as the ‘succession of the patriarchs’, the second as ‘succession of the kings’, the chronological canon as ‘computation of the years’. No title of the additional column, which contains mixed material, is now known. Chapters with excursus were inserted, which interrupted the system of columns. After an open and abrupt end, six appendices follow. The first appendix is a monumental synopsis of all the kings and patriarchs mentioned. It was supposed to function as a directory. The second appendix is a treatise on the historical identity of the Syrians, who are connected to the Ancient Oriental Empires, the Assyrians, the Babylonians, and the Arameans. When the chronicle was translated into Armenian, in two different translations, in 1246 and 1247, it was transformed according to Armenian interests.

Michael died in 1199 CE.

• from Chabot (1899-1910:244)

At the same time, on the coast of Phoenicia, the city of Tripoli was submerged, as well as Beirut, Biblos, Botrys and the towns of Galilee. The sea withdrew two miles on itself, and ships lay on the ground.

• from Chabot (1899-1910:244)

A la même époque', sur le littoral de la Phénicie, la ville de Tripoli fut engloutie, [309] ainsi que Beirout, Biblos, Botrys² et les villes de Galilée. La mer se retira à deux milles sur elle-même, et des navires gisaient sur le sol.

• Section 101
• from Bedrosian (1870-1871:section 101)

In the 23rd year of Justinian the river at Tarsus rose and flooded the city. In the same period the city of Laodicea with 7,000 on its inhabitants was destroyed in an earthquake. The city of Pompeiopolis (or, Pentapolis ) in Mysia sank and its inhabitants, still living, were sucked into the pit. Their cries were heard for days, but no one could help them. In Phoenicia the cities of Tripoli, Byblos (Pilsos), and Trovas [Tyre ?] sank and all the cities of Galilee. The sea retreated by two mils, and boats became stranded on land.

• see left side of page 244 in Volume 2, Book IX, Chapter XXIX starting with A la même époque
• from Chabot (1899-1910:244)
• from archive.org

• see left page top paragraph last two sentences starting with In Phoenicia the cities of Tripoli
• from Bedrosian (1870-1871:section 101)
• from archive.org

• not bookmarked
• from archive.org

French translation by Chabot (1899-1910: Volume 2, Book IX, Chapter XXIX pp. 243-244)

text from the sole surviving Syriac manuscript

syri.ac website for Michael the Syrian

Gregorius Abu’l-Faraj (1225/6-1286 CE), commonly known as ‘Bar Hebraeus’ (Bar 'Ebhraya), or the ‘Son of the Jew’, was born in Malatiyah (Melitene) to a Jewish father known as Aaron the Physician (Budge, 1932:xvi-xvii). After the Mongols sacked Malatiyah, the Mongol General Shawer Nawin fell ill and Aaron took care of his condition. This led to the family moving to Antioch where Bar Hebraeus continued his studies and, at the age of 17, became a Jacobite monk and a hermit (Budge, 1932:v). Bar Hebraeus later went to Tripoli in Phoenicia to further his studies and eventually became the Bishop of Gubos. He then moved to Lakabhin where he was also a Bishop and, after that, moved to Aleppo (Budge, 1932:xvii-xviii). In 1264 CE, Bar Hebraeus was elected Maphrian (Primate) of the East (Budge, 1932:xix). Besides his Chronicle, Bar Hebraeus wrote other books on philosophy, religion, grammar, science, and, possibly, medicine. He was also a lecturer in Mathematics and Astronomy (Budge, 1932:vii and wikipedia). His translations of Greek and Arabic texts indicates fluency in multiple languages besides Syriac and, presumably, Hebrew (Budge, 1932:vii). Bar Hebraeus traveled widely and died in Maraga, Persia, and was buried at the Mar Mattai Monastery, near Mosul (Budge, 1932:xxviii-xxxi and wikipedia). He is also known by the Latinized name Abulpharagius.

Bar Hebraeus began his studies to write his Chronicle in the great library at Maraghah only intending to write a history of the last eighty years continuing the Chronicle of Michael the Syrian which ends in 1196 CE (Budge, 1932:v). However, once he completed his 80 year history, he worked backwards, and using the Chronicle of Michael the Great [aka Michael the Syrian] as a foundation, he compiled his great work dealing with the profane history of the world from the Creation to the year of his death in 1286 CE (Budge, 1932:vii).

• from Budge(1932:76)

And in the 23rd year of Justinianus, Tarsus in Cilicia was inundated by the river which flowed by it, and Ladikia was overwhelmed, and 7000 people died therein. And the sea-coast of Phoenicia was submerged, Tripoli, Berut, Byblos, and Troas, and the cities of Galilee.

• see p. 76 starting with And in the twenty-third year of JUSTINIANUS
• from Budge(1932:76)
• from archive.org

• This account is very similar to and perhaps sourced and abridged from Michael the Syrian.
• The Library at Maraghah, which Bar Hebraeus used to write Chronicon, contained many Syriac, Arabic, and Persian manuscripts, and also, of course, contemporary documents dealing with the extraordinary events which took place in the thirteenth century (Budge, 1932:vii).

Budge, E. A. W. (1932). The chronography of Gregory Abu'l Faraj the son of Aaron the hebrew physician commonly known as Bar Hebraeus being the first part of his political history of the world. 1, 1. Piscataway, Gorgias Press.