Erickson-Gini and Tuttle (2017) argue that Russell and Hammond’s attribution of destruction in both Area I (the “Upper” or “Later House”) and Area II to the 551 CE Beirut earthquake is not supported by either subsequent archaeological work at Petra or by the material evidence recovered in their excavations. They note that finds from the Later House include neither vessels nor coins dating to the 6th century CE, and that evidence from the nearby Petra Church excavations likewise does not support the occurrence of an earthquake in that period. They further observe that a corresponding 551 CE event is also "elusive" in the Temple of the Winged Lions in Area II, where the latest reported coinage only extends to the reign of Constantius II (r. 337–361 CE).

Jones (2021) reiterates the absence of 6th- century material at both the Temple of the Winged Lions and the nearby residential complex in Area I, while cautioning that this absence may reflect abandonment prior to destruction rather than conclusive evidence against a late-6th-century seismic event.