 The contents of the Library of Celsus at Ephesus were destroyed by a fire in 262 C.E. caused either by an earthquake or by an invasion. The façade was toppled in another earthquake centuries later and reerected in 1970–78. | |
  | |
| Local date | 21 December 262 |
|---|---|
| Epicenter | 36°30′N 27°48′E / 36.5°N 27.8°E |
| Areas affected | Turkey |
| Max. intensity | MMI IX (Violent) |
| Tsunami | Estimated at Intensity 4 on the Sieberg-Ambraseys scale |
The 262 Southwest Anatolia earthquake devastated the Roman city of Ephesus along with cities along the west and south coasts of Anatolia in year 262, or possibly 261, on 21 December.[1][2][3] The epicenter was likely located in the southern Aegean Sea.[1] Reports note that many cities were flooded by the sea, presumably due to a tsunami.[1]
Nicholas Ambraseys, who performed the most comprehensive assessment of ancient earthquakes in the Mediterranean, traces the original source of most literary references to this quake to an account in the Augustan History purportedly written by Trebellius Pollio.[4] This source is problematic, as the veracity of much of its supposed biographical details is doubtful. However, there is some reason to give credence to the history's accounts of natural disasters. Trebellius's account also reports the southwest Anatolia earthquake in conjunction with one that hit Cyrene, Libya the same year. The two events appears to have been unrelated, but it has been difficult for historians to disentangle the exact effects of each based on the classical sources.
- ^ a b c Altınok et al. 2011, p. 276.
- ^ NGDC Earthquake Comments.
- ^ Crouch 2003, p. 275.
- ^ Ambraseys 2009, p. 138.