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115 CE Trajan Quake

Early Morning - 13 December 115 CE

by Jefferson Williams








Introduction & Summary

115 CE Trajan Quake Summary

Textual Evidence

Text (with hotlink) Original Language Religion Date of Composition Location Composed Notes
Satire VI by Juvenal Latin 1st half of the 2nd century CE Italy Unlocated and undated poetic reference to how cities are tottering and lands subsiding
Roman History by Dio Cassius Greek ~207-229 CE Mostly in Capua (Italy). Possibly wrote some material in other locations. Dio Cassius provided an extensive discussion of the earthquake and its effects but provides limited chronological information.
Chronicon by Eusebius Greek translated to Latin by Jerome Christian Early 4th century CE Caesarea Short passage states that An earthquake at Antioch ruined almost the entire city during the 1st year of the 223rd Olympiad which corresponds to 1 July 113 CE to 30 June 114 CE
History Against the Pagans by Orosius Latin Christian ~416-417 CE Palestine and/or Gallaecia (northwest Hispania) and/or places between. States that Lightning struck and burned the Pantheon at Rome [~110 CE], while at Antioch an earthquake laid almost the entire city in ruins. Fear (2010:343 n. 154) notes that Orosius was using Jerome's Latin translation of Eusebius' Chronicon as a source and deliberately mis-dated certain events in this part of his book, including the burning of the Pantheon and the earthquake at Antioch, in service of a theological agenda.
Chronographia by Johannes Malalas Greek Christian (Orthodox Byzantium) ~530s to 565 CE Probably Antioch and Constantinople Although there are chronological inconsistencies in Malalas' account, he provides what appears to be an accurate date - in the early morning of 13 December 115 CE. The source for this earthquake may have been 'City Chronicles' of Antioch.
Ecclesiastical History by Evagrius Scholasticus Greek Chalcedonian Christian ~593 CE Antioch ? Refers to the Trajan Quake in a discussion about another earthquake that struck Antioch ~347 years later. Ambraseys (2009) notes that there are dating inconsistencies in the passage by Evagrius Scholasticus
Chronicle of Zuqnin by Pseudo-Dionysius of Tell-Mahre Syriac Eastern Christian 750-775 CE Zuqnin Monastery States that A great earthquake took place in Antioch, overturning the city almost entirely. Dated to 111-114 CE. Dates in this part of the Chronicle of Zuqnin are frequently unreliable.
The Chronicle of Georgius Syncellus Greek Orthodox (Byzantium) 808-810 CE ( Adler and Tuffin, 2002:lxx) Vicinity of Constantinople States that Antioch suffered an earthquake when Trajan was staying there. Chronological information dating the earthquake to 108 or 109 CE is inconsistent and flawed when one considers the chronology of Trajan's reign (e.g., Trajan's move to Antioch at the start of the Parthian Campaign in 113 CE).
Chronicle by Michael the Syrian Syriac Syriac Orthodox Church late 12th century CE Probably at the Monastery of Mar Bar Sauma near Tegenkar, Turkey States that Antioch was more or less entirely overthrown by a violent earthquake at the same time that the Temple of the Pantheon was destroyed by lightning [~110 CE].
Other Sources
Text (with hotlink) Original Language Religion Date of Composition Location Composed Notes
Satire VI by Juvenal

Roman History by Dio Cassius

Chronicon by Eusebius

History Against the Pagans by Orosius

Chronographia by Johannes Malalas

Ecclesiastical History by Evagrius Scholasticus

Chronicle of Zuqnin by Pseudo-Dionysius of Tell-Mahre

The Chronicle of Georgius Syncellus

Chronicle by Michael the Syrian

Other Sources

Archaeoseismic Evidence

Location (with hotlink) Status Intensity Notes
Apamea possible Ambraseys (2009) states that four other cities, among them Apamea, are inferred to be have damaged by the earthquake based on building programs initiated soon after. Ambraseys' (2009) sources were Balty (1988) and Krauss (1914).
Location (with hotlink) Status Intensity Notes
Apamea



Tsunamogenic Evidence

Location (with hotlink) Status Intensity Notes
Caesarea and Jisr al-Zakra unlikely If Tsunamogenic evidence is present in Caesarea from around this time, it was more likely a result of the Incense Road Quake
Location (with hotlink) Status Intensity Notes
Caesarea and Jisr al-Zakra



Paleoseismic Evidence

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Location (with hotlink) Status Intensity Notes
al-Harif Syria possible ≥ 7
 Sbeinati et. al. (2010) report a seismic event X which they dated to 335 AD ± 175 years at a displaced aqueduct at al-Harif, Syria (close to Masyaf, Syria). The Trajan Quake of 115 CE is slightly outside modeled ages. MW = 7.3-7.6 (based on 4.2 m of slip)
Dead Sea - Seismite Types n/a n/a A conservative worst case scenario calculation reveals why it is unlikely that the Trajan Quake produced seismites in the Dead Sea.
  1. Assume the upper end of the Magnitude estimate for the Trajan Quake (MW = 7.5) from Meghraoui et al. (2003).
  2. Locate the epicenter ~90 km. south of Antioch in Apamea.
  3. Calculate the Epicentral Distance (R) from Apamea to Nahal Ze ‘elim (465 km.).
  4. Use the attenuation relationship from Hough and Avni (2009) to estimate peak horizontal ground acceleration (PGA) at Nahal Ze ‘elim where Kagan et al (2011) observed a 5 cm. thick seismite that they associated with the Trajan Quake.

    5. The result is a PGA of 0.10 g at Nahal Ze'elim. This is below the 0.23 g threshold calculated by Williams (2004) or 0.13 g assumed in Lu et al (2020a) that one needs to break the Dead Sea sediments. The conclusion is that the Trajan Quake probably not produce these Dead Sea Seismites and the Incense Road Quake did.

    Calculator
    Seismic Attenuation

    Variable Input Units Notes
    Magnitude
    km. Distance to earthquake producing fault
    Variable Output - Site Effect not considered Units Notes
    unitless
    unitless Conversion from PGA to Intensity using Wald et al (1999)
      

Dead Sea - En Feshka no evidence Kagan et. al. (2011) did not see any evidence for a seismite created around this time.
Dead Sea - En Gediunlikely 6.3-8.8 Migowski et. al. (2004) assigned two seismites at depths of 264 and 265 cm. (2.64 and 2.65 m) at En Gedi to earthquakes in 112 and 115 CE. The 112 CE date refers to the early second century CE Incense Road Earthquake and the 115 CE date refers to the Trajan Quake which was too far away to have created a Dead Sea seismite. During field work in January 2014 in the nearby En Gedi Trench, Jefferson Williams saw evidence for a sizable earthquake from a ~5 cm. thick seismite from around 112 ± 8 CE which was probably created by the Incense Road Quake. Williams also observed two detachment planes in the Incense Road Quake seismite (use magnifying glass to see at high resolution) which might explain why Migowski, while doing microscope work on the En Gedi Core, identified two separate seismites from the same deformation event.
Dead Sea - Nahal Ze 'elim unlikely 8.1-8.9 At site ZA-2, Kagan et al (2011) assigned a 5 cm. thick Type 4 seismite at a depth of 445 cm. (Modeled Ages 1σ - 125 CE ± 39 and 2σ - 133 CE ± 78) to a date of 115 CE. The 115 CE date refers to the Trajan Quake which was too far away to have created a Dead Sea seismite. The seismite observed by Kagan et al (2011) likely formed during the Incense Road Earthquake.
Araba - Introduction n/a n/a n/a
Araba - Taybeh Trench unlikely ≥ 7 LeFevre et al. (2018) identified a seismic event (E4) in the Taybeh trench with a modeled age of 111 CE ± 31 which was associated with the early 2nd century CE Incense Road Earthquake.
Araba - Qatar Trench unlikely ≥ 7 Klinger et. al. (2015) identified a seismic event (E6) in a trench near Qatar, Jordan in the Arava which they modeled between 9 BCE and 492 CE. The large spread in age caused them to consider two possible earthquakes as the cause; the early 2nd century CE Incense Road Quake and the southern Cyril Quake of 363 CE. They preferred the Cyril Quake of 363 CE based on weighing other evidence not related to their paleoseismic study and noted that further investigation was required.
Location (with hotlink) Status Intensity Notes
Displaced Aqueduct at al Harif, Syria

Sbeinati et. al. (2010) report a seismic event X which they dated to 335 AD ± 175 years at a displaced aqueduct at al-Harif, Syria (close to Masyaf, Syria). The Trajan Quake of 115 CE is slightly outside modeled ages.



Dead Sea - Seismite Types



Dead Sea - En Feshka

Kagan et. al. (2011) did not see any evidence for a seismite created around this time.



Dead Sea - En Gedi

Migowski et. al. (2004) assigned two seismites at depths of 264 and 265 cm. (2.64 and 2.65 m) at En Gedi to earthquakes in 112 and 115 CE. The 112 CE date refers to the early second century CE Incense Road Earthquake and the 115 CE date refers to the Trajan Quake which was too far away to have created a Dead Sea seismite. During field work in January 2014 in the nearby En Gedi Trench, Jefferson Williams saw evidence for a sizable earthquake from a ~5 cm. thick seismite from around 112 ± 8 CE which was probably created by the Incense Road Quake. Williams also observed two detachment planes in the Incense Road Quake seismite (use magnifying glass to see at high resolution) which might explain why Migowski, while doing microscope work on the En Gedi Core, identified two separate seismites from the same deformation event.



Dead Sea - Nahal Ze 'elim

At site ZA-2, Kagan et al (2011) assigned a 5 cm. thick Type 4 seismite at a depth of 445 cm. (Modeled Ages 1σ - 125 CE ± 39 and 2σ - 133 CE ± 78) to a date of 115 CE. The 115 CE date refers to the Trajan Quake which was too far away to have created a Dead Sea seismite. The seismite observed by Kagan et al (2011) likely formed during the Incense Road Earthquake.



Araba - Introduction



Araba - Taybeh Trench

LeFevre et al. (2018) identified a seismic event (E4) in the Taybeh trench with a modeled age of 111 CE ± 31 which was associated with the early 2nd century CE Incense Road Earthquake.



Araba - Qatar Trench

Klinger et. al. (2015) identified a seismic event (E6) in a trench near Qatar, Jordan in the Arava which they modeled between 9 BCE and 492 CE. The large spread in age caused them to consider two possible earthquakes as the cause; the early 2nd century CE Incense Road Quake and the southern Cyril Quake of 363 CE. They preferred the Cyril Quake of 363 CE based on weighing other evidence not related to their paleoseismic study and noted that further investigation was required.



Notes

Ambrasey's (2009) Entry for AD c. 115? Rhodes

AD c. 115? Rhodes

An earthquake severely damaged the city of Rhodes, possibly at about the same time as the earthquake in Antioch. The sanctuary of Asclepius was razed to the ground but later rebuilt by one Tiberius Claudius Antipater.

Malalas, who is the sole specific source for a Rhodian earthquake at this time, says that on the same night as Antioch suffered an earthquake (see above), ‘the island city of Rhodes, being a city of the Hexapolis, suffered under the wrath of God for the second time.’ However, he says in the previous paragraph that the Antioch earthquake began at cock-crow, whereas the Rhodes earthquake took place at night.

The coincidence, on the one hand, and the inconsistency, on the other, suggest that Malalas has manipulated the chronology, as he so often does, for effect.

An inscription from Lindos in Rhodes, dating from about the turn of the second century AD, records the generosity of a Tiberius Claudius Antipater, who ‘rebuilt in the city, out of his own funds, together with his son Claudius Diocles, the sanctuary of Asclepius which was razed by an earthquake’. Another inscription dating from about the same time gives thanks to the gods for deliverance from the earthquake (Robert 1978, 403ff).

The dates of these inscriptions are not certain, and they need not necessarily be connected with the same earthquake as that to which Malalas is referring.

Guidoboni et al. (1994, 235) associate the first inscription found in Lindos with the East Mediterranean earthquake of AD 141–2. However, since the epigraphy seems to date from early in the first century, it has been put with Malalas’s record.

Notes

(Mal. 275–276/416–417 – see above under AD 115 Dec 13 Antioch).
‘The Lindians honour. . . Tiberius Claudius Antipater, who rebuilt in the city, out of his own funds, together with his son Claudius Diocles, the sanctuary of Asclepius which was razed by an earthquake.’ (I. Lindos II, n. 449, l. 13–16).
‘For what was granted in the earthquake, thanks be to the gods.’ (IGR iv. 1121. 9–11).

Paleoclimate - Droughts

References