The 499 Nicopolis earthquake took place in September 499. It affected the cities of

Nicopolis Nicopolis () or Actia Nicopolis was the capital city of the Roman province of Epirus (Roman province), Epirus. Its site, near Preveza, Greece, still contains impressive ruins. The city was founded in 29 BC by Octavian in commemoration of his ...

, Neocaesarea (modern

Niksar Niksar, historically known as Neocaesarea (Νεοκαισάρεια), is a city in Tokat Province, Turkey. It is the seat of Niksar District.Arsamosata Arsamosata (Middle Persian: *, Old Persian: *, , ) was an ancient and medieval city situated on the bank of the Murat River (called the Arsanias in classical sources), near the present-day city of Elazığ. It was founded in by Arsames I, the ...

, and Abarne.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995

Tectonic setting

Northern Turkey lies across the mainly

transform fault A transform fault or transform boundary, is a fault (geology), fault along a plate boundary where the motion (physics), motion is predominantly Horizontal plane, horizontal. It ends abruptly where it connects to another plate boundary, either an ...

boundary between the

Anatolian Plate The Anatolian plate is a continental tectonic plate lying under Asiatic part of Turkey, known as Anatolia. Most of the country of Turkey is located on the Anatolian plate. The plate is separated from the Eurasian plate and the Arabian plate ...

and the Eurasian Plate. The Anatolian Plate is being pushed westwards by the northward moving Arabian Plate. This motion is accommodated by a major dextral (right lateral)

strike-slip fault In geology, a fault is a planar fracture or discontinuity in a volume of rock across which there has been significant displacement as a result of rock-mass movements. Large faults within Earth's crust result from the action of plate tectonic ...

system, the

North Anatolian Fault The North Anatolian Fault (NAF; ) is an active right-lateral strike-slip fault in northern Anatolia, and is the transform boundary between the Eurasian plate and the Anatolian sub-plate. The fault extends westward from a junction with the Ea ...

(NAF). In detail the fault is formed of many separate segments. Movement on parts of this fault zone have been responsible for many large and damaging earthquakes. They tend to form overall westward propagating sequences that can last for many decades. The most recent sequence began with the

1939 Erzincan earthquake An earthquake struck Turkey's eastern Erzincan Province at with a moment magnitude () of 7.8 and maximum Mercalli intensity of XII (''Extreme''). It is tied with the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes as the most powerful earthquake in Turkey to ...

, continuing with major earthquakes in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1949, 1951, 1957, 1966, 1967, 1992 and two in 1999.

Earthquake

The 499 earthquake is thought to have involved the rupture of the whole of the fault segment that caused the 1939 Erzincan event, 360 km in total. This interpretation is based on the result of paleoseismological investigations across the NAF using trenches to view the displacement of soil horizons that were dated using

radiocarbon Carbon-14, C-14, C or radiocarbon, is a radioactive isotope of carbon with an atomic nucleus containing 6 protons and 8 neutrons. Its presence in organic matter is the basis of the radiocarbon dating method pioneered by Willard Libby and coll ...

. Based on the interpreted rupture length, the 499 earthquake is estimated to have had a magnitude in the range 7.7–8.4.

Impact

The earthquake took place in the borders between the regions of

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia is a historical region of West Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the Fertile Crescent. Today, Mesopotamia is known as present-day Iraq and forms the eastern geographic boundary of ...

Pontus Pontus or Pontos may refer to: * Short Latin name for the Pontus Euxinus, the Greek name for the Black Sea (aka the Euxine sea) * Pontus (mythology), a sea god in Greek mythology * Pontus (region), on the southern coast of the Black Sea, in modern ...

, and

Roman Armenia Roman Armenia refers to the rule of parts of Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity), Greater Armenia by the Roman Empire from the 1st century AD to the end of Late Antiquity. While Armenia Minor had become a client state until it was incorporated into t ...

. It seemingly belongs to the cultural areas of

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

(Asia Minor) and Mesopotamia.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995 It is described in detail in the pseudonymous chronicle of

Joshua the Stylite Joshua the Stylite (also spelled Yeshu Stylite and Ieshu Stylite) is the attributed author of a chronicle which narrates the history of the Roman%E2%80%93Persian Wars#Anastasian War, war between the Byzantine Empire and Sassanian Empire, Persians be ...

(6th century).Guidoboni, Traina, 1995 The chronicle reports that the earthquake was preceded by a plague of

locusts Locusts (derived from the Latin ''locusta'', locust or lobster) are various species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a Swarm behaviour, swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circu ...

. The earthquake reportedly took place in September. During the earthquake, "a great sound" was reportedly heard from the

heaven Heaven, or the Heavens, is a common Religious cosmology, religious cosmological or supernatural place where beings such as deity, deities, angels, souls, saints, or Veneration of the dead, venerated ancestors are said to originate, be throne, ...

over the land. The earth trembled, and all nearby villages and towns felt the earthquake and heard the accompanying sound.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995 The earthquake was accompanied with alarming

rumor A rumor (American English), or rumour (British English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences; derived from Latin 'noise'), is an unverified piece of information circulating among people, especial ...

s from various locations.

Omen An omen (also called ''portent'') is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. It was commonly believed in ancient history, and still believed by some today, that omens bring divine messages ...

s ("signs) were reported from the

Euphrates The Euphrates ( ; see #Etymology, below) is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of West Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia (). Originati ...

, and the

hot spring A hot spring, hydrothermal spring, or geothermal spring is a Spring (hydrology), spring produced by the emergence of Geothermal activity, geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the Earth. The groundwater is heated either by shallow ...

of Avarne. The "waters which flowed from their fountains" were dried up in the day of the earthquake. The chronicler mentions that it was typical for running waters to be restrained by earthquakes, or their flow to be diverted to other locations.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995 A letter reported that the city of Nicopolis had collapsed in

ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...

, and that its inhabitants were buried in the ruins. The report of the letter was confirmed to the chronicler by travelers who returned from Nicopolis. The

defensive wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications such as curtain walls with t ...

s of Nicopolis had collapsed, along with every building within the city.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995 According to the chronicler, there were only three survivors. They were the bishop of Nicopolis and two of his companions. The trio were sleeping behind the

apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...

of a church's

altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...

. When the ceiling of their room collapsed, "one end of its beams" was stopped by the altar's wall. The trio were consequently not buried under the collapsed ceiling.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995 The chronicler mentions one of his own acquaintances who left the city shortly before the earthquake, at the insistence of a restless companion. The two men had slept in a cave outside Nicopolis. They returned in the morning and discovered the disaster.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995 According to this supposed eyewitness, the casualties did not include only human residents. The city's

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

, oxen, and

camel A camel (from and () from Ancient Semitic: ''gāmāl'') is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provid ...

s were trapped beneath the ruins.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995 The bishop of Nicopolis was rescued by unnamed visitors to the city, who found him underneath the ceiling's beams. The bishop asked them for bread and wine, with the intention to celebrate the

Eucharist The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christianity, Christian Rite (Christianity), rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an Ordinance (Christianity), ordinance in ...

. However, they could not find bread and wine in the ruins.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995 In Arsamosata, there was a "strongly built" and "beautifully decorated" church. The locals were scared by

thunder Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. Depending upon the distance from and nature of the lightning, it can range from a long, low rumble to a sudden, loud crack. The sudden increase in temperature and hence pressure caused by the lightning pr ...

and

lightning Lightning is a natural phenomenon consisting of electrostatic discharges occurring through the atmosphere between two electrically charged regions. One or both regions are within the atmosphere, with the second region sometimes occurring on ...

prior to the earthquake, and had fled to this church. They hoped that local

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s (the "bones of the

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

s") would protect them. The church collapsed at midnight, due to the earthquake. Most of the people within were crushed to death.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995 A shorter description of the earthquake is given by the chronicler

Marcellinus Comes Marcellinus Comes (Greek: Μαρκελλίνος ό Κόμης, died c. 534) was a Latin chronicler of the Eastern Roman Empire. An Illyrian by birth, he spent most of his life at the court of Constantinople. His only surviving work, the ''Chroni ...

(6th century), who reports that the earthquake affected the Roman province of

. The '' Chronicle of Edessa'' (6th century), reports the great tremor of the earthquake. According to this chronicle, the hot spring of Abarne remained dried up for three days. It also reports the collapse of Nicopolis, and the survival of the local bishop and two of his attendants.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995 The historian

Theophanes the Confessor Theophanes the Confessor (; 759 – 817 or 818) was a member of the Byzantine aristocracy who became a monk and chronicler. He served in the court of Emperor Leo IV the Khazar before taking up the religious life. Theophanes attended the Second C ...

(8th century) instead dates this earthquake to

Anno Mundi (from Latin 'in the year of the world'; ), abbreviated as AM or A.M., or Year After Creation, is a calendar era based on biblical accounts of the creation of the world and subsequent history. Two such calendar eras of notable use are: * Sin ...

5995, equivalent to

Anno Domini The terms (AD) and before Christ (BC) are used when designating years in the Gregorian calendar, Gregorian and Julian calendar, Julian calendars. The term is Medieval Latin and means "in the year of the Lord" but is often presented using "o ...

502 and 503.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995 Theophanes reports a supposed miracle at Neocaesarea which was connected to this earthquake. A soldier who was walking alone near the city, met two unknown (to him) soldiers, and a person who was instructing them to protect the house containing the tomb of Gregory. When the earthquake struck, the church of

Gregory Thaumaturgus Gregory Thaumaturgus or Gregory the Miracle-Worker (, ; ; ), also known as Gregory of Neocaesarea, was a Christian bishop of the 3rd century. He has been canonized as a saint in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. Biography Gregory was born arou ...

was one of the few buildings in Neocaesarea which did not collapse. Theophanes attributes this to divine protection.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995 A Syrian chronicle dating to 819, also records this earthquake. It misdates the earthquake to the year 470. A chronicle attributed to

Dionysius I Telmaharoyo Dionysius I Telmaharoyo (Latin: ''Dionysius Telmaharensis'', Syriac: ܕܝܘܢܢܘܣܝܘܣ ܬܠܡܚܪܝܐ, Arabic: مار ديونيسيوس التلمحري), also known as Dionysius of Tel Mahre, was the Patriarch of Antioch, and head of the Syr ...

(9th century), dates the same earthquake to the year 503, and places it in Mesopotamia. The historian

Samuel Anetsi Samuel Anetsi also Samuel of Ani was an Armenian historian and priest of the 12th century. Samuel is known for his writing of history and chronicles a book where he is the first author to use the Armenian Chronology. Samuel was also a disciple of ...

(12th century) dates the earthquake to the year 510. There is also a mention of this earthquake by the chronicler

Michael the Syrian Michael the Syrian (),(), died AD 1199, also known as Michael the Great () or Michael Syrus or Michael the Elder, to distinguish him from his nephew, was a patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church from 1166 to 1199. He is best known today as th ...

(12th century).Guidoboni, Traina, 1995 Arsamosata was also known as Arsameia. Arsameia and the hot springs of Abarne were both located in the

Kingdom of Commagene Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchic state or realm ruled by a king or queen. ** A monarchic chiefdom, represented or governed by a king or queen. * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and me ...

. The Nicopolis mentioned was probably located in

Euphratensis Euphratensis (Latin for "Euphrates, Euphratean"; , ''Euphratēsía''), fully Augusta Euphratensis, was a late Roman and then Byzantine province in Syria (region), Syrian region, part of the Byzantine Diocese of the East. History Sometime between ...

, and may be different than the Nicopolis of Pontus, or the Nicopolis of

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

(also known as

Emmaus Nicopolis Emmaus ( ; ; ; ) is a town mentioned in the Gospel of Luke of the New Testament. Luke reports that Jesus appeared, after his death and resurrection, before two of his disciples while they were walking on the road to Emmaus. Although its geograp ...

).Guidoboni, Traina, 1995

Sources

References

{{coord, 40.554, 36.949, type:event_globe:earth_region:TR, display=title 499 490s in the Byzantine Empire 1st-millennium earthquakes 5th-century natural disasters Medieval earthquakes 5th century in Armenia Earthquakes in the Byzantine Empire Earthquakes in Turkey Earthquakes in Armenia