Fragmenta Historica Tusculana

Background and Biography

Background and Biography

Excerpts

English from Ambraseys (2009)

• 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).

Machine Translation from Greek to English - from Migne (1864)

• from Migne (1864 v. 85)
• There may be errors in this transcription
• footnotes not copied
• machine translated using Google
• light editing by JW

And it came to pass in the reign of our most reverend despot, in the month of July, on the sixth day, and on the 14th indiction, there was a great and terrible earthquake in all the land of Palestine, and in the land of Mesopotamia and Antioch; and many cities fell in the land of Phoenicia on the coast, that is, Tyre, and Sidon, and Beirut, and Tripolis, and Byblos, and Botryus⁵, and other cities, and the phantasms of those around their places fell, and multitudes of people and from whom they were captured in these cities; next to the sea mountain of the stone face (56) measure what of him, and entered the sea, and became a port, as they rushed from within him Glimenos might ships of all sizes

(Migne (1864), Patrologia Graeca, v. 85, pp. 1821-1824)

Latin Translation from Migne (1864)

• from Migne (1864 v. 85)
• There may be errors in this transcription
• footnotes not copied

Eodem anno, regnante religiosissimo domino nostro, mensis Julii die sexta, indictione quarta decima, horrendus accidit terræ motus in universa Orientis regione, in Arabia, inquam, totaque Palaestina, in Mesopotamiae provincia et territorio [... Greek Text ...] Antiocheno. Corruerunt autem in Phoenice maritima urbes multa, id est Tyrus, Sidon, Berylus, Tripolis, Biblus, Botrus, aliaque civitates; atque ut præcise dicam, centum atque unum ex circumstantibus oppidis ceciderunt, magnaque hominum et jumentorum multitudo cum ipsis urbibus periit. In urbe autem Botro pars quædam montis mari adjacentis, qui dicitur Lithoprosopon, avulsa decidit in mare, portumque illic elecit, intra quem navigia maxima recipi poterant.

(Migne (1864), Patrologia Graeca, v. 85, pp. 1821-1824)

Greek from Migne (1864)

• from Migne (1864 v. 85)
• There may be errors in this transcription
• footnotes not copied

Καὶ τῷ αὐτῷ ἔτει ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ αὐτοῦ εὐσεβεστάτου ἡμῶν δεσπότου, μηνὶ Ἰουλίῳ, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἕκτῃ, Ινδικτιῶνι τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῃ δὲ ἐγένετο σεισμός μέγας καὶ φοβερὸς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ χώρᾳ τῆς Παλαιστίνῃ, καὶ ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ τῆς Μεσοποταμίας καὶ Αντιοχείας· καὶ ἔπεσαν ἐν τῇ τε χώρᾳ τῆς Φοινίκης τῆς παράλου πόλεις πολλαί, τουτέστιν Τύρος, καὶ Σιδών, καὶ Βηρυτος, καὶ Τρίπολις, καὶ Βίβλος, καὶ Βότρυς 5, καὶ ἄλλαι πόλεις, καὶ φάναι ρα' τῶν περι χώρων αὐτῶν ἔπεσαν, καὶ πλήθη ἀνθρώπων καὶ ἀπό γων συνελήφθησαν ἐν ταῖς αὐταῖς πόλεσιν· ἐν τῇ δὲ Βότρυος πόλει ἀπέσπασεν ἀπὸ τοῦ παρακειμένου τῇ θαλάσσῃ ὅρους τοῦ ἐπίκλην Λιθοπροσώπου (56) μέτ ρος τι ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ ἀπετέλεσεν λιμένα, ὡς ὁρμεῖν ἔσωθεν τοῦ αὐτοῦ Γλιμένος δύνασθαι πλοῖα παμμεγέθη.]

(Migne (1864), Patrologia Graeca, v. 85, pp. 1821-1824)

Greek and Latin from Migne (1864)- embedded

• see 2/3 of the way down on left page in section C which starts in Latin with Eodem anno, regnante religiosissimo domino nostro, mensis Julii die sexta, indictione quarta and in Greek with Καὶ τῷ αὐτῷ ἔτει ἐπὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ αὐτοῦ
• from Migne (1864 v. 85 pp. 1821-1824)
• from archive.org

Chronology

Fragmenta Historica Tusculana provides a date of 6 July which differs from the 9 July provided by other authors. For a July earthquake, the 14th indiction places the earthquake in 551 CE,

Year	Reference	Corrections	Notes
6 July 551 CE	in the month of July, on the 6th day, in the 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

Seismic Effects

• 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
• many cities of the Phoenician littoral collapsed, viz. Tyre, Sidon, Berytus, Tripolis, Biblus (sic.) and Botrys, and other cities;
• of the surrounding villages 101 fell, and multitudes of men were crushed in these cities
• in the city of Botrys a part of the adjacent mountain called the Face of Stone split away, and fell into the sea

Locations

• Arabia
• the whole of Palestine
• Mesopotamia
• Antiochia
• Tyre
• Sidon
• Berytus
• Tripolis
• Biblus (sic.)
• Botrys
• other cities
• of the surrounding villages 101 fell

Sources

Sources

Online Versions and Further Reading

References