The 740 Constantinople earthquake took place on 26 October, 740, in the vicinity of
Constantinople
Constantinople (#Names of Constantinople, see other names) was a historical city located on the Bosporus that served as the capital of the Roman Empire, Roman, Byzantine Empire, Byzantine, Latin Empire, Latin, and Ottoman Empire, Ottoman empire ...
and the
Sea of Marmara
The Sea of Marmara, also known as the Sea of Marmora or the Marmara Sea, is a small inland sea entirely within the borders of Turkey. It links the Black Sea and the Aegean Sea via the Bosporus and Dardanelles straits, separating Turkey's E ...
.
[Antonopoulos, 1980]
In Constantinople, the earthquake caused the collapse of many public buildings. The
Walls of Constantinople were also damaged. The casualties in Constantinople reportedly included over 1,000 people.
[Antonopoulos, 1980]
The earthquake reportedly destroyed a number of towns in
Thrace
Thrace (, ; ; ; ) is a geographical and historical region in Southeast Europe roughly corresponding to the province of Thrace in the Roman Empire. Bounded by the Balkan Mountains to the north, the Aegean Sea to the south, and the Black Se ...
. It also damaged the cities of
Nicaea
Nicaea (also spelled Nicæa or Nicea, ; ), also known as Nikaia (, Attic: , Koine: ), was an ancient Greek city in the north-western Anatolian region of Bithynia. It was the site of the First and Second Councils of Nicaea (the first and seve ...
(
Ä°znik),
Nicomedia (
Ä°zmit), and
Praenetus.
[Antonopoulos, 1980]
The historians
Theophanes the Confessor (8th-9th century) and
George Kedrenos (11th century) reported that the earthquake caused the sea to retire away from the coast in many places. The sea soon returned, and flooded many towns.
[Antonopoulos, 1980] The description given matches that of a seismic sea-wave (
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from , ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and underwater explosions (including detonations, ...
).
[Antonopoulos, 1980]
The date of the earthquake is recorded by (among others)
Anastasius Bibliothecarius (9th century),
Joannes Zonaras (12th century),
Carolus Sigonius (16th century),
Caesar Baronius (16th-17th century), and
Sethus Calvisius (16th-17th century).
[Antonopoulos, 1980]
References
General
*
Specific
{{coord, 41.0082, 28.9784, display=title
740
740s in the Byzantine Empire
8th-century earthquakes
Constantinople
Earthquakes in the Byzantine Empire
Nicaea