Negev Quake
late 5th/early 6th century CE
by Jefferson Williams
Introduction & Summary
Archaeoseismic Evidence in the Negev may suggest that a localized earthquake struck the region in the late 5th or early 6th century CE. If so, this may have been a result of a blind thrust
Blind thrust faultDiagram of blind thrust fault.
(Image courtesy of Stephen Nelson, Tulane University)
USGS Website
Textual Evidence
Archaeoseismic Evidence
| Location (with hotlink) | Status | Intensity | Notes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avdat | possible | ≥ 8 | The "Previous" Earthquake - 5th century CE -
Erickson-Gini (2014) described an early
5th century earthquake at Avdat/Oboda:
A massive earthquake took place in the early 5th century CE, substantial evidence of which was uncovered in the late Roman and early Byzantine residential quarter (Erickson-Gini 2010a: 91-93). All of the structures east of the town wall were abandoned and used as a source of building stone for the late Byzantine town. Following this earthquake, massive revetment walls were constructed along the southern wall of the acropolis in order to shore up the heavily damaged walls. In contrast, the late Byzantine citadel adjoining the temenos area of the acropolis has no revetment walls, certainly due to its construction following the earthquake. The two churches inside the temenos area were built using numerous early Roman ashlars and architectural elements originally from the Obodas Temple damaged in the earthquake.Tali Erickson-Gini in Stern et al (2008) noted that numismatic and ceramic evidence uncovered in this third phase indicate that the dwellings [of the late Roman and early Byzantine residential quarter] were destroyed in a violent earthquake several decades after that of 363 CEadding that following this second, local earthquake, the area was abandoned and many of the building stones were robbed. In Area A of the Roman/Byzantine Quarter, Erickson-Gini (2022) found floor slabs, apparently from an upper floor, and archers from an earlier collapsewhich maybe remains from an early 5th century CEcollapse. They also found an earlier version of Wall 1 which may be the remains of a stone course that had collapsed from original W1 in the early fifth century CEand which, according to Erickson-Gini (2022), corresponds to a blockage in the northern wall (W2; Fig. 6) in the early fifth century CE, when the site was damaged by a local earthquake, evidence of which was discovered by the author in the Roman/Byzantine Quarter nearby (Erickson-Gini 2010:91– 95; 2014:100).Erickson-Gini (2022) also noted that in the Dipinti cave on the southern slope of the Acropolis in Area D, a niche in the wall appears to have originally been a window that was blocked on the eastern side of the back of the Dipinti Wall when it was reinforced, possibly following damage by the earthquake in the early fifth century CE (see Erickson-Gini 2010:90–94). Zion et al (2022:30) reports that the quarters for the soldiers of the Roman army camp, located east of and adjacent to the Acropolis, were destroyed in an early 5th century CE earthquake. An early 5th century earthquake suggests the 419 CE Monaxius and Plinta Quake which may be corroborated by archaeoseismic evidence in Yotvata. Negev (1989) provided a wider range of dates for this earthquake which entertains the possibility that this archaeoseismic evidence was caused by the hypothesized Negev Quake which, if real, is dated to around 500 CE. A decisive factor in determining this phase is the dating of a series of earthquakes, one or more of which shattered numerous buildings in some of the towns of the central Negev. Although literary evidence is scarce, there is ample archaeological evidence that testifies to these disasters. At Oboda the entire length of the old southern Nabatean retaining wall was thrust outwards, and for this reason it had to be supported by a heavy, slanting supporting wall. Similarly much damage was caused to a massive tower of the Nabatean period, identified in July 1989 as the temple of Obodas (?), which in the Late Roman - early Byzantine period was incorporated in the citadel occupying the eastern half of the acropolis hill. Most of the damage was caused to the western and southern walls of the temple, and for this reason these too had to be supported by still heavier stone taluses, blocking the original entrance to the temple on the southern wall. It is against this talus that the South Church was built. Similar damage was also caused to some of the nearby buildings in the so-called Roman Quarter south of the temple. We may thus place the date of the earthquake between the end of the third century A.D., when the latest building in this quarter was constructed, and A.D. 541, when the Martyrium of St. Theodore was already being used as a burial ground. |
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| Shivta | possible | ≥ 6 | Byzantine Earthquake - ~500 CE -
Margalit (1987) excavated the North Church at Shivta and discovered two building phases.
the beginning of the sixth century A.D.. Negev (1989 provided epigraphic support for this ~500 CE date. The Intensity Estimate is based on the construction of revetment or support walls as other seismic effects would have likely been obscured by rebuilding. Construction of support walls suggests wall tilting during a previous seismic event. A site effect at Shivta is unlikely due to a hard carbonate bedrock. |
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| Haluza | possible | ≥ 7 |
Korjenkov and and Mazor (2005) surmised that the first earthquake struck in the Byzantine period between the end of the 3rd and the mid-6th centuries A.D.. This was based on dates provided by Negev (1989). The Intensity estimate presented here is based on Seismic Effects categorized as Earthquake Damage Restorations by Korjenkov and and Mazor (2005) |
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| Rehovot ba Negev | possible | ≥ 7 | "Late Roman Earthquake" - ~500 - ~600 CE - Korzhenkov and Mazor (2014) identified an earthquake which they referred to as "the Late Roman Earthquake". It likely struck between ~500 and ~600 CE; after initial construction (~460 - 470 CE) of the northern church (Tsafrir et al, 1988) where many of the Seismic Effects of Korzhenkov and Mazor (2014) were observed. Korzhenkov and Mazor (2014) estimated the same Intensity (VIII–IX) and the same direction of the epicenter (ESE) for 4 seismic events they observed in their arcaheoseismic survey. Rehovot ba Negev has a probable site effect as much but not all of Rehovot Ba Negev was built on weak ground (confirmed by A. Korzhenkov, personal communication, 2021). | ||||||
| Mampsis | possible | ≥ 8 | Second Earthquake - 5th - 7th centuries CE ? - Mampsis suffers from a problematic and some times debated chronology [e.g., Magness (2003) vs.
Negev (1974:412, 1988)]. The 2nd earthquake observed by
Korzhenkov and Mazor (2003)
is tentatively bracketed to the 5th-7th centuries CE leaving the Negev Quake as
a potential cause of destruction. Korzhenkov and Mazor (2003)
characterized the 2nd earthquake as having an intensity of IX or more with an epicenter to the SW. Mampsis was characterized as being some distancefrom the epicenter and removed from the the hypocenter. |
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| Petra - Jabal Khubthah | possible | ≥ 8 | End of Phase 3 Earthquake - 5th or early 6th centuries CE - Fiema in Tholbecq et al (2019) acknowledged difficulties in dating this presumed seismic destruction arriving at a date based on ceramics of the 5th or early 6th century CE. | ||||||
| el-Lejjun | possible | ≥ 8 | Parker (2006:120) provided a terminus post quem of ~450 CE and a terminus ante quem of ~530 CE for their 2nd earthquake earthquake indicating that it struck between ~450 and ~530 CE. | ||||||
| Castellum of Da 'janiya | possible | ≥ 8 | Godwin (2006:281) identified 3 destruction layers in room T.7. Roughly 2 m of architectural debris overlaid floor T.7:007, representing collapse from the curtain wall and other walls of the room. The 2 m of debris was divided into 3 different layers. Tumble layer T.7:006 was tentatively misdated to 502 CE (Fire in the Sky Quake - too far) which might suggest the ~500 CE Negev Quake caused the destruction. The two later destruction layers were interpreted as earthquake induced but were undated. | ||||||
| Castellum of Qasr Bshir | possible | ≥ 8 | Post Stratum III Gap Earthquake - Possible Earthquake between ca. 500 and 636 CE - The site was abandoned by the Romans by 500 CE. After abandonment, limited occupation occurred which may have been no more than a squatter occupation. The site was re-occupied in the Umayyad period (starting in 636 CE ?). Clark (1987) identified a tumble layer in the Post Stratum III gap {ca. 500 to 636 CE) which could have been caused by an earthquake or gradual decay. |
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| En Hazeva | possible | ≥ 8 (both quakes) |
Two possible candidates.
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| Location (with hotlink) | Status | Intensity | Notes |
Tsunamogenic Evidence
Paleoseismic Evidence
| Location (with hotlink) | Status | Intensity | Notes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dead Sea - Seismite Types | n/a | n/a | n/a | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dead Sea - En Feshka | possible | 5.6-8.8 (Heifetz/Wetzler) 7.0-8.6 (Modified Williams) |
Kagan et. al. (2011) identified
several seismites at En Feshka which could have been caused by the
Fire in the Sky Quake of 502 CE
or the hypothesized Negev Quake of ~500 CE.
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| Dead Sea - En Gedi | possible | 7.9-8.8 | Migowski et. al. (2004) assigned a 502 CE date from the 1997 GSI/GFZ core in En Gedi (DSEn) to a 0.7 cm. thick Type 4 mixed layer seismite at a depth of 229.91 cm. (2.2991 m). This date assignment matches with the Fire in the Sky Quake of 502 CE or the hypothesized Negev Quake of ~500 CE. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dead Sea - Nahal Ze 'elim | possible | 8.4-9.3 | At site ZA-2, Kagan et. al. (2011) assigned a 17 cm. thick intraclast breccia and liquefied sand seismite at a depth of 315 cm. to the 551 CE Beirut Quake. However the Inscription at Areopolis Quake was significantly closer and fits within the modeled ages (± 1σ - 537 AD ± 70, ± 2σ - 540 AD ± 88). It is more likely that the seismite at 315 cm. depth was created by the Inscription at Areopolis Quake. The age range for this seismite also matches with the hypothesized ~500 CE Negev Quake and, less likely due to distance, the Fire in the Sky Quake of 502 CE. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Araba - Introduction | n/a | n/a | n/a | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Araba -Taybeh Trench | possible | ≥ 7 | Event E3 in the Taybeh Trench (LeFevre et al., 2018) matches well with a ~500 CE date (Modeled Age 551 CE ± 264) however the spread of ages for this event is large and a number of other earthquakes are possible candidates. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Araba - Qatar Trench | possible | ≥ 7 | Event E6 of Klinger et. al. (2015) has a Modeled Age of 251 CE ± 251 and thus could match with the hypothesized ~500 CE Negev Quake. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location (with hotlink) | Status | Intensity | Notes |