Archaeoseismology is the study of ancient

earthquake An earthquakealso called a quake, tremor, or tembloris the shaking of the Earth's surface resulting from a sudden release of energy in the lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from those so weak they ...

s by analysis of

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or recorded history, historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline ...

s before

Robert Mallet Robert Mallet (3 June 1810 – 5 November 1881) was an Irish geophysicist, civil engineer, and inventor who distinguished himself by research concerning earthquakes (and is sometimes known as the father of seismology). His son, Frederick Ri ...

's protomodern seismology in the mid-19th century. Such analyses reveal information about seismic events that was not historically recorded before the advent of

seismometer A seismometer is an instrument that responds to ground displacement and shaking such as caused by quakes, volcanic eruptions, and explosions. They are usually combined with a timing device and a recording device to form a seismograph. The out ...

s in the late 19th century. Such data can also help to document

seismic risk Seismic risk or earthquake risk is the potential impact on the built environment and on people's well-being due to future earthquakes. Seismic risk has been defined, for most management purposes, as the potential economic, social and environment ...

in areas subject to brutally destructive earthquakes. In 1991, an international conference in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

marked the beginning of modern research in the field of archaeoseismology, described as a "study of ancient earthquakes, and their

social Social organisms, including human(s), live collectively in interacting populations. This interaction is considered social whether they are aware of it or not, and whether the exchange is voluntary or not. Etymology The word "social" derives fro ...

cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

and

natural Nature is an inherent character or constitution, particularly of the ecosphere or the universe as a whole. In this general sense nature refers to the laws, elements and phenomena of the physical world, including life. Although humans are part ...

effects".

The main idea

Earthquakes in the distant past may provide important information for a regional seismic risk assessment. We have quantitative data concerning past earthquakes only from the beginning of the 20th century (as the

seismograph A seismometer is an instrument that responds to ground displacement and shaking such as caused by quakes, volcanic eruptions, and explosions. They are usually combined with a timing device and a recording device to form a seismograph. The out ...

was invented only at the end of the 19th century), but humanity has had to deal with earthquakes throughout its existence. Thus we have extremely limited historical information about seismic risks. A methodology for reconstruction of historical earthquakes was held during the 20th century, but with very limited results, especially for archaic earthquakes. Thus research in archaeological sites is needed to try to identify damage and destruction from ancient earthquakes.

Archaeological record

The

archaeological record The archaeological record is the body of physical (not written) evidence about the past. It is one of the core concepts in archaeology, the academic discipline concerned with documenting and interpreting the archaeological record. Archaeological t ...

can carry three different types of evidence of seismic activity: * The archaeological remains are displaced due to the movement of an active fault. * The remains and artefacts contained in destruction deposits, associated with the decline of soil or seismic vibration, can be used in the dating of earthquake damage. Other archaeological evidence, such as repairs, abandonment of an archaeological site or

architectural Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

changes, can help in identifying ancient earthquakes. * Αncient

building A building or edifice is an enclosed Structure#Load-bearing, structure with a roof, walls and window, windows, usually standing permanently in one place, such as a house or factory. Buildings come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and functions, a ...

s and other man-made structures can be studied for signs of ancient seismic disaster, often associated with

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth, is a mixture of organic matter, minerals, gases, water, and organisms that together support the life of plants and soil organisms. Some scientific definitions distinguish dirt from ''soil'' by re ...

vibration.

Notable events

* A key example of an ancient earthquake is the

226 BC Rhodes earthquake The Rhodes earthquake of 226 BC, which affected the island of Rhodes, Greece, is famous for having toppled the large statue known as the Colossus of Rhodes. Following the earthquake, the statue lay in place for nearly eight centuries before being ...

, which toppled one the seven wonders of the world at the time, the Colossus of Rhodes. It is also noted that damage to the city and harbor were evident. The Greek historian

Strabo Strabo''Strabo'' (meaning "squinty", as in strabismus) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. The father of Pompey was called "Gnaeus Pompeius Strabo, Pompeius Strabo". A native of Sicily so clear-si ...

discussed the collapse of the colossus in the

1st century BC The 1st century Before Christ, BC, also known as the last century BC and the last century Common Era , BCE, started on the first day of 100 BC, 100 BC and ended on the last day of 1 BC, 1 BC. The Anno Domini, AD/BC notation does not ...

. * A more studied example is The Great Chilean Earthquake of 1960, which was the most powerful earthquake in recorded history, at 9.6 on the

moment magnitude scale The moment magnitude scale (MMS; denoted explicitly with or Mwg, and generally implied with use of a single M for magnitude) is a measure of an earthquake's magnitude ("size" or strength) based on its seismic moment. was defined in a 1979 paper ...

. * The first recorded earthquake was the

Mount Tai earthquake The Mount Tai earthquake ( zh, 泰山震) was the first recorded earthquake in history. It occurred at Mount Tai, in present-day Shandong province, China, during the seventh year of the reign of King Fa of the Xia dynasty, which places its occ ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

in 1831 BC.

References

External links

* * Archaeological sub-disciplines {{Archaeology-stub

The main idea

Archaeological record

Notable events

See also

References

External links