Transliterated Name | Language | Name |
---|---|---|
Hippos | Greek | Ἵππος |
Antiochia Hippos | Greek | Αντιοχεία Ἵππος |
Hippum | Latin | |
Sussita | Hebrew | סוסיתא |
Sus | Hebrew | סוס |
Sussita | Aramaic | |
Qal‘at al-Ḥuṣn | Arabic | قلعة الحصن |
Segal et al (2014b) excavated an Odeion at Hippos-Sussita from 2008 - 2010. They report that
On the basis of an analysis of the building methods and materials and according to the numismatic and pottery finds, it can be determined to a great degree of certainty that the odeion was erected during the second half of the 1st century CE. It appears that the odeion was in use during the first three centuries of the Common Era. Its condition as revealed during its exposure by the excavators clearly indicates that it was not destroyed. This conclusion is based on the preserved uniform height of the walls, two or three courses, not including the encompassing wall of which six courses have survived. The lack of decorative items that were broken or burnt, the absence of tiles and sooty remains of the ceiling and roof, all testify that the structure was systematically dismantled. It is safe to assume, on the basis of the numismatic and pottery finds, that the dismantling of the structure was carried out during the 4th century CE, apparently before the earthquake of 363 CE. However, we cannot negate the possibility that the odeion was damaged during this earthquake and that a decision was then made not to renovate but rather to dismantle it.In summary, they did not encounter a destruction layer. While it is possible that the Odeion was dismantled due to damage caused by an earlier earthquake, the excavators did not suggest this.
Wechsler, N., et al. (2018) report the following archeoseismic evidence at Hippos
The destruction of the Roman Basilica built in the center of the city at the end of the 1st century CE is clear evidence for the 363 CE earthquake judging by the archaeological data (Eisenberg, 2016; Segal, 2014a). The latest coins found in-between the fallen architectural fragment and the basilica floor are dated to 362 CE while the floor built above its debris is dated to the 380s CE. It is possible that some of the later, strong, post-abandonment earthquakes caused some additional damage at the site.Press reports (Science Daily) also indicate the discovery of the skeleton of a woman with a dove-shaped pendant under the tiles of a collapsed roof in an area north of the Basilica which was attributed to the northern Cyril Quake of 363 CE.
has been confirmed by the objects found in the sealed contexts at the [northwest] church such as the coins and pottery (including oil lamps): see our Report 2001, 2002 and 2003 respectively.The church referred to is the Northwest Church. This is not the same church Wechsler et al (2018) and others refer to as the Cathedral. It is the Cathedral which contains the fallen columns that Yagoda-Biran and Hatzor (2010) analyzed to estimate a lower limit of paleo-PGA during the earthquake.
The so-called North-West Church, excavated by the Polish team in 2000- 2008,19 yielded a number of invaluable archaeological deposits securely sealed by the debris of an earthquake. There can be no doubt that the earthquake in question was that of January 18th, A.D. 749, since (apart from scores of typical Umayyad-period ceramic vessels) the latest coin, sealed on the floor of the northern aisle, was minted in Tiberias between A.D. 737 and 746.20 Most importantly, the contents of destruction deposits prove that the church was liturgically active till that very moment.21 It was built to the north of the agora (Fig. 1), the central public square (termed “Forum” by the excavators), on the site of an Augustan/Tiberian-period sanctuary,22 not earlier than at the turn of the fifth century (based on the material associated with the stylobate foundation in the atrium)23 or even during the first half of the sixth century. The church builders re-used parts of the cella walls (like the northern wall, in extenso incorporated into the northern wall of the basilica) as well as the stylobate of the eastern portico of the temenos.Footnotes19 The institutions, represented by the team members, were the Research Centre for Mediterranean Archaeology (Polish Academy of Sciences), the National Museum in Warsaw and the Institute of Archaeology (University of Warsaw). The work was financially supported by Grant No 1H01 B009 29 of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (2005-2007).
20 Berman 2001, 38, cat. no. 31. The same earthquake largely destroyed Beisan, cf. Bar-Nathan, Mazor 2007, XIV.
21 Mlynarczyk, Burdajewicz 2003, 31-32; cf. Mlynarczyk 2008a, passim.
22 Mlynarczyk, Burdajewicz 2004, 67-68, fig. 25; Mlynarczyk, Burdajewicz 2005a, 53; Mlynarczyk, Burdajewicz. 2005b, 16.
23 Ibidem, 46.
Seismic Effects include:
fallen architectural fragment(Wechsler et al, 2018)
The atrium and the southern aisle floors were covered with collapsed building debris, composed mainly of basalt ashlars. Only the lowest ashlar courses of the building’s walls were extant, and in some places even the lowest course was tilted and pushed out of place. The eastern area of the opus sectile floor of the southern aisle was well preserved (F809; Fig. 10).
The Cathedral is, so far, the only structure that has been at the center of quantitative archaeoseimsic studies. Yagoda-Biran and Hatzor (2010) tried to estimate minimum levels of peak ground acceleration (PGA) during the earthquake ground motion which was necessary to topple the Cathedral columns. However, they used the model of a freestanding column of the same size as the ones found in the Cathedral, but with no capital, architrave or other superstructure. Since 2D models were used and forces were applied to the center of gravity of the columns and pedestals, the reported 0.2 - 0.4 m/s2 PGA threshold at frequencies between 0.2 and 4.4 Hz can only be regarded as a rough estimate and are not necessarily representative for the complete structure of the Cathedral which has a significantly different response to earthquake ground motions than a solitary column. Hinzen (2009) used 3D discrete element models conforming to the size of the toppled columns of the Cathedral and showed that the toppling direction during a realistic earthquake ground motion in three dimensions is a matter of chance. A column that is being rocked by earthquake ground motions is in a nonlinear dynamic system and its behavior tends to be of a chaotic character. Small changes to the initial conditions can have a strong influence on the general dynamic reaction and significantly alter the toppling direction. The same paper shows that the parallel orientation is probably an effect of the superstructure connecting the columns mechanically and not a consequence of the ground motion character. This interpretation is also strongly supported by the fact that the two remaining columns of the southern row rest at angles of ~90° compared with the columns from the northern row, as shown in a 3D laser scan model of the site (Fig. 2.4). A similar analysis of the Hippos columns was performed by Hinzen (2010).![]()
Fig. 2.4 Perspective clear view to a 3D laser scan model of the Cathedral of Hippos with a view from the northeast.
Wechsler et al (2018)
Effect | Location | Notes | Intensity |
---|---|---|---|
Collapsed Walls | Basilica | fallen architectural fragment(Wechsler et al, 2018) suggests collapsed walls |
VIII+ |
Displaced Walls | To the north of the Basilica | collapsed roof (Science Daily, 2014) suggests displaced walls | VII+ |
Effect | Location | Notes | Intensity |
---|---|---|---|
Displaced Walls | east of the Hellenistic Compound (HLC5) |
Wall displaced towards the west
![]() ![]() Hippos 2009, area to the east of the HLC (Hellenistic Compound). Wall 1386. Note the extent of damage, most probably the results of the landslide caused by the earthquake JW: located in HLC 5 Segal et al (2019) |
VII+ |
Collapsed Walls | Northwest Church | Segal et al (2004:65) reports that chronological evidence for the one of the Sabbatical Year earthquakes "destroying" Hippos Sussita. Destruction suggests collapsed walls at a minimum. | VIII+ |
Fallen Columns | Cathedral | Excavations in the 1950's revealed columns lying on the floor of the cathedral in sub parallel directions (Wechsler et al, 2018) | VIII+ |
The saddle-like structure of the Sussita hill is prone to topographic amplification of strong ground motion during earthquakes, especially at the hilltop. The focusing effects of seismic waves in similar situations have been reported to lead to significant ground motion amplification (e.g., Massa et al., 2010). In the case of Hippos, the special geometry of the hill is combined with the unusual situation of high impedance material in the form of a basalt flow on top of weaker conglomerates. Figure 2.5 (above) shows a simplified north-south trending profile through the site and the neighboring valleys of Ein-Gev and Sussita. Estimates of ground motion amplification of vertically traveling shear waves from 1D model calculations indicate amplification factors at the hilltop in the range of 8 at frequencies of 2-3 Hz, a frequency range at which constructions such as colonnades show high vulnerability. In any further archaeoseismic studies of the damaged structures in Hippos, the exceptional location of the site and the local conditions must be taken into account.
Variable | Input | Units | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
g | Peak Horizontal Ground Acceleration | ||
km. | Distance to earthquake producing fault | ||
unitless | Site Effect due to Topographic or Ridge Effect (set to 1 to assume no site effect) |
||
Variable | Output - Site Effect not considered | Units | Notes |
unitless | Conversion from PGA to Intensity using Wald et al (1999) | ||
unitless | Attenuation relationship of Hough and Avni (2009) used to calculate Magnitude |
||
Variable | Output - Site Effect removed | Units | Notes |
unitless | Conversion from PGA to Intensity using Wald et al (1999) | ||
unitless | Attenuation relationship of Hough and Avni (2009) used to calculate Magnitude |
Source :
Kramer (1996:92-93)
Variable | Input | Units | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
GPa | Shear Modulus | ||
m | Displacement | ||
km. | Fault width | ||
km. | Fault length | ||
Variable | Output | Units | Notes |
N-m | Seismic Moment | ||
dynes-cm. | Seismic Moment | ||
unitless | Moment Magnitude |
Variable | Input | Units | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
unitless | Radiation Patttern | ||
unitless | Free surface effect | ||
km./s | Shear Wave velocity of the rock | ||
g/cc | Density of the rock | ||
Moment Magntidue | |||
Hz. | cutoff frequency - 15 Hz. typical for W N Am. | ||
bars | 50 bars typical for W N Am. | ||
Hz. | frequency | ||
km. | Fault Distance | ||
Variable | Output | Units | Notes |
constant | |||
dyne-cm. | Seismic Moment | ||
Hz. | Corner frequency | ||
Amplitude (UNDER CONSTRUCTION) |
Articles and Books
Arleta Kowalewska and Michael Eisenberg, 2021, Horbat Sussita (Hippos) – Preliminary Report Hadashot Arkheologiyot Volume 135 Year 2023
Mlynarczyk, J. (2008). Churches and the Society in Byzantine-period Hippos. Decapolis, ARAM Society,, Oxford, ARAM.
Excavation Reports
Hippos-Sussita of the Decapolis: The First Twelve Seasons of Excavations, Vol. I
Hippos-Sussita of the Decapolis: The First Twelve Seasons of Excavations, Vol. II
Websites
Digital Hippos
Publications List from Digital Hippos
Hippos-Sussita at biblewalks.com