Synonyms
Earthquake archaeology; Seismic archaeology
Definition
The study of ancient earthquakes at archaeological sites.
Introduction
Earthquakes have disrupted human societies throughout history and prehistory. Whereas hunter-gatherer cultures may have been relatively little affected by seismic events, the built environment of sedentary societies can be quite vulnerable to collapse of structures by earthquake-induced ground motion. Understanding the severity and frequency of past earthquakes is important for understanding the history, consequences, and responses of past societies to these seismic disasters, as well as the hazards posed to modern populations. In many parts of the world, the recurrence of earthquakes is so infrequent that modern instrumental seismic data do not adequately represent the earthquake potential. Therefore, other methods to document the history of earthquakes are needed.
Various sources of data provide evidence of earthquake occurrence and magnitude, albeit...
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsBibliography
Altunel, E., Meghraoui, M., Karabacak, V., Akyüz, S. H., Ferry, M., Yalçıner, Ç., and Munschy, M., 2009. Archaeological sites (tell and road) offset by the Dead Sea Fault in the Amik Basin, Southern Turkey. Geophysical Journal International, 179(3), 1313–1329.
Ambraseys, N. N., 1971. Value of historical records of earthquakes. Nature, 232(5310), 375–379.
Ambraseys, N. N., 1973. Earth sciences in archaeology and history. Antiquity, 47(187), 229–230.
Ambraseys, N. N., 2005. Archaeoseismology and neocatastrophism. Seismological Research Letters, 76(5), 560–564.
Ambraseys, N. N., 2006. Earthquakes and archaeology. Journal of Archaeological Science, 33(7), 1008–1016.
Barnes, G. L., 2010. Earthquake archaeology in Japan: an overview. In Sintubin, M., Stewart, I. S., Niemi, T. M., and Altunel, E. (eds.), Ancient Earthquakes. Boulder, CO: Geological Society of America, pp. 81–96. Geological Society of America special paper, 471.
Barreca, G., Barbano, M. S., Carbone, S., and Monaco, C., 2010. Archaeological evidence for Roman-age faulting in central-northern Sicily: possible effects of coseismic deformation. In Sintubin, M., Stewart, I. S., Niemi, T. M., and Altunel, E. (eds.), Ancient Earthquakes. Boulder, CO: Geological Society of America, pp. 223–232. Geological Society of America special paper, 471.
Caputo, R., and Helly, B., 2008. The use of distinct disciplines to investigate past earthquakes. Tectonophysics, 453(1–4), 7–19.
Galadini, F., Hinzen, K.-G., and Stiros, S., 2006. Archaeoseismology: methodological issues and procedure. Journal of Seismology, 10(4), 395–414.
Galli, P. A. C., Giocoli, A., Naso, J. A., Piscitelli, S., Rizzo, E., Capini, S., and Scaroina, L., 2010. Faulting of the Roman aqueduct of Venafrum (southern Italy): methods of investigation, results, and seismotectonic implications. In Sintubin, M., Stewart, I. S., Niemi, T. M., and Altunel, E. (eds.), Ancient Earthquakes. Boulder, CO: Geological Society of America, pp. 233–242. Geological Society of America special paper, 471.
Grützner, C., Reicherter, K., and Silva, P. G., 2010. Comparing semiquantitative logic trees for archaeoseismology and paleoseismology: the Baelo Claudia (southern Spain) case study. In Sintubin, M., Stewart, I. S., Niemi, T. M., and Altunel, E. (eds.), Ancient Earthquakes. Boulder, CO: Geological Society of America, pp. 129–143. Geological Society of America special paper, 471.
Guidoboni, E., 1996. Archaeology and historical seismology: the need for collaboration in the Mediterranean area. In Stiros, S. C., and Jones, R. E. (eds.), Archaeoseismology. Athens: Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration/British School at Athens, pp. 7–13. Fitch Laboratory occasional paper, 7.
Guidoboni, E., and Ebel, J. E., 2009. Earthquakes and Tsunamis in the Past: A Guide to Techniques in Historical Seismology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Guidoboni, E., Muggia, A., and Valensise, G., 2000. Aims and methods in territorial archaeology: possible clues to a strong fourth-century AD earthquake in the Straits of Messina (southern Italy). In McGuire, W. J., Griffiths, D. R., Hancock, P. L., and Stewart, I. S. (eds.), The Archaeology of Geological Catastrophes. London: The Geological Society of London, pp. 45–70. Special publication, 171.
Hancock, P. L., and Altunel, E., 1997. Faulted archaeological relics at Hierapolis (Pamukkale), Turkey. Journal of Geodynamics, 24(1–4), 21–36.
Haynes, J. M., Niemi, T. M., and Atallah, M., 2006. Evidence for ground-rupturing earthquakes on the Northern Wadi Araba fault at the archaeological site of Qasr Tilah, Dead Sea transform fault system, Jordan. Journal of Seismology, 10(4), 415–430.
Hinzen, K.-G., 2005. The use of engineering seismological models to interpret archaeoseismological findings in Tolbiacum, Germany: a case study. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 95(2), 521–539.
Hinzen, K.-G., 2009. Simulation of toppling columns in archaeoseismology. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 99(5), 2855–2875.
Kamai, R., and Hatzor, Y. H., 2008. Numerical analysis of block stone displacements in ancient masonry structures: a new method to estimate historic ground motions. International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics, 32(11), 1321–1340.
Karcz, I., and Kafri, U., 1978. Evaluation of supposed archaeoseismic damage in Israel. Journal of Archaeological Science, 5(3), 237–253.
Koukouvelas, I. K., Stamatopoulos, L., Katsonopoulou, D., and Pavlides, S., 2001. A palaeoseismological and geoarchaeological investigation of the Eliki fault, Gulf of Corinth, Greece. Journal of Structural Geology, 23(2–3), 531–543.
Mallet, R., 1862. Great Neapolitanian Earthquake of 1857. The First Principles of Observational Seismology as Developed in the Report to the Royal Society of London of the Expedition made by Command of the Society into the Interior of the Kingdom of Naples, to Investigate the Circumstances of the Great Earthquake of December 1857. London: Chapman and Hall, Vol. II.
Marco, S., 2008. Recognition of earthquake-related damage in archaeological sites: examples from the Dead Sea fault zone. Tectonophysics, 453(1–4), 148–156.
Marco, S., Agnon, A., Ellenblum, R., Eidelman, A., Basson, U., and Boas, A., 1997. 817-year-old walls offset sinistrally 2.1 m by the Dead Sea Transform, Israel. Journal of Geodynamics, 24(1–4), 11–20.
Meghraoui, M., Gomez, F., Sbeinati, R., Van der Woerd, J., Mouty, M., Darkal, A. N., Radwan, Y., Layyous, I., Al Najjar, H., Darawcheh, R., Hijazi, F., Al-Ghazzi, R., and Barazangi, M., 2003. Evidence for 830 years of seismic quiescence from palaeoseismology, archaeoseismology and historical seismicity along the Dead Sea fault in Syria. Earth and Planetary Science Letters, 210(1–2), 35–52.
Michetti, A. M., Esposito, E., Guerrieri, L., Porfido, S., Serva, L., Tatevossian, R., Vittori, E., Audemard, F., Azuma, T., Clague, J., Comerci, V., Gürpinar, A., McCalpin, J., Mohammadioun, B., Mörner, N. A., Ota, Y., and Roghozin, E., 2007. Intensity Scale ESI 2007. In Guerrieri, L., and Vittori, E. (eds.), Memorie Descrittive della Carta Geologica d’Italia, 74. Rome: Servizio Geologico d’Italia–Dipartimento Difesa del Suolo, APAT.
Noller, J. S., 2001. Archaeoseismology: shaking out the history of humans and earthquakes. In Goldberg, P., Holliday, V. T., and Ferring, C. R. (eds.), Earth Sciences and Archaeology. New York: Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, pp. 143–170.
Noller, J. S., and Lightfoot, K. G., 1997. An archaeoseismic approach and method for the study of active strike-slip faults. Geoarchaeology, 12(2), 117–135.
Rapp, G., Jr., 1986. Assessing archaeological evidence for seismic catastrophes. Geoarchaeology, 1(4), 365–379.
Rodríguez-Pascua, M. A., Pérez-López, R., Giner-Robles, J. L., Silva, P. G., Garduño-Monroy, V. H., and Reicherter, K., 2011. A comprehensive classification of Earthquake Archaeological Effects (EAE) in archaeoseismology: application to ancient remains of Roman and Mesoamerican cultures. Quaternary International, 242(1), 20–30.
Rucker, J. D., and Niemi, T. M., 2010. Historical earthquake catalogues and archaeological data: achieving synthesis without circular reasoning. In Sintubin, M., Stewart, I. S., Niemi, T. M., and Altunel, E. (eds.), Ancient Earthquakes. Boulder, CO: Geological Society of America, pp. 97–106. Geological Society of America special paper, 471.
Sbeinati, M. R., Meghraoui, M., Suleyman, G., Gomez, F., Grootes, P., Nadeau, M.-J., Al Najjar, H., and Al-Ghazzi, R., 2010. Timing of earthquake ruptures at the Al Harif Roman aqueduct (Dead Sea fault, Syria) from archaeoseismology and paleoseismology. In Sintubin, M., Stewart, I. S., Niemi, T. M., and Altunel, E. (eds.), Ancient Earthquakes. Boulder, CO: Geological Society of America, pp. 243–267. Geological Society of America special paper, 471.
Sintubin, M., and Stewart, I. S., 2008. A logical methodology for archaeoseismology: a proof of concept at the archaeological site of Sagalassos, southwest Turkey. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 98(5), 2209–2230.
Sintubin, M., Stewart, I. S., Niemi, T. M., and Altunel, E. (eds.), 2010. Ancient Earthquakes. Boulder, CO: Geological Society of America. Geological Society of America special paper, 471.
Stefanakis, M. I., 2010. Western Crete: from Captain Spratt to modern archaeoseismology, 2010. In Sintubin, M., Stewart, I. S., Niemi, T. M., and Altunel, E. (eds.), Ancient Earthquakes. Boulder, CO: Geological Society of America, pp. 67–79. Geological Society of America special paper, 471.
Stiros, S. C., 1996. Identification of earthquakes from archaeological data: methodology, criteria and limitations. In Stiros, S. C., and Jones, R. E. (eds.), Archaeoseismology. Athens: Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration/British School at Athens, pp. 129–152. Fitch Laboratory occasional paper, 7.
Stiros, S. C., and Jones, R. E., 1996. Archaeoseismology. Athens: Institute of Geology and Mineral Exploration/British School at Athens. Fitch Laboratory occasional paper, 7.
Tuttle, M. P., Lafferty, R. H., III, Guccione, M. J., Schweig, E. S., Lopinot, N., Cande, R. F., Dyer-Williams, K., and Haynes, M., 1996. Use of archaeology to date liquefaction features and seismic events in the New Madrid seismic zone, central United States. Geoarchaeology, 11(6), 451–480.
Tuttle, M. P., Lafferty, R. H., III, Cande, R. F., and Sierzchula, M. C., 2011. Impact of earthquake-induced liquefaction and related ground failure on a Mississippian archeological site in the New Madrid seismic zone, central USA. Quaternary International, 242(1), 126–137.
Wells, D. L., and Coppersmith, K. J., 1994. New empirical relationships among magnitude, rupture length, rupture width, rupture area, and surface displacement. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 84(4), 974–1002.
Zhang, B., Liao, Y., Guo, S., Wallace, R. E., Bucknam, R. C., and Hanks, T. C., 1986. Fault scarps related to the 1739 earthquake and seismicity of the Yinchuan graben, Ningxia Huizu Zizhiqu, China. Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, 76(5), 1253–1287.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this entry
Cite this entry
Niemi, T.M. (2017). Archaeoseismology. In: Gilbert, A.S. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geoarchaeology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4409-0_59
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-4409-0_59
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-4827-9
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-4409-0
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences