The tsunami of 13 December A.D. 115 and the destruction of Herod the Great's harbor at Caesarea Maritima, Israel

Abstract

Research Article| December 01, 2006 The tsunami of 13 December A.D. 115 and the destruction of Herod the Great's harbor at Caesarea Maritima, Israel Eduard G. Reinhardt; Eduard G. Reinhardt 1McMaster University School of Geography and Earth Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Beverly N. Goodman; Beverly N. Goodman 1McMaster University School of Geography and Earth Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Joe I. Boyce; Joe I. Boyce 1McMaster University School of Geography and Earth Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Gloria Lopez; Gloria Lopez 1McMaster University School of Geography and Earth Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Peter van Hengstum; Peter van Hengstum 1McMaster University School of Geography and Earth Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar W. Jack Rink; W. Jack Rink 1McMaster University School of Geography and Earth Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Yossi Mart; Yossi Mart 2Center for Maritime Studies, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Avner Raban Avner Raban 2Center for Maritime Studies, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information Eduard G. Reinhardt 1McMaster University School of Geography and Earth Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada Beverly N. Goodman 1McMaster University School of Geography and Earth Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada Joe I. Boyce 1McMaster University School of Geography and Earth Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada Gloria Lopez 1McMaster University School of Geography and Earth Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada Peter van Hengstum 1McMaster University School of Geography and Earth Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada W. Jack Rink 1McMaster University School of Geography and Earth Sciences, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada Yossi Mart 2Center for Maritime Studies, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel Avner Raban 2Center for Maritime Studies, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel Publisher: Geological Society of America Received: 30 Mar 2006 Revision Received: 03 Jul 2006 Accepted: 17 Jul 2006 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1943-2682 Print ISSN: 0091-7613 The Geological Society of America, Inc. Geology (2006) 34 (12): 1061–1064. https://doi.org/10.1130/G22780A.1 Article history Received: 30 Mar 2006 Revision Received: 03 Jul 2006 Accepted: 17 Jul 2006 First Online: 09 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation Eduard G. Reinhardt, Beverly N. Goodman, Joe I. Boyce, Gloria Lopez, Peter van Hengstum, W. Jack Rink, Yossi Mart, Avner Raban; The tsunami of 13 December A.D. 115 and the destruction of Herod the Great's harbor at Caesarea Maritima, Israel. Geology 2006;; 34 (12): 1061–1064. doi: https://doi.org/10.1130/G22780A.1 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyGeology Search Advanced Search Abstract Underwater geoarchaeological excavations on the shallow shelf (∼10 m depth) at Caesarea, Israel, have documented a tsunami that struck and damaged the ancient harbor at Caesarea. Talmudic sources record a tsunami that struck on 13 December A.D. 115, impacting Caesarea and Yavne. The tsunami was probably triggered by an earthquake that destroyed Antioch, and was generated somewhere on the Cyprian Arc fault system. The tsunami deposit consisted of an ∼0.5-m-thick bed of reverse-graded shells, coarse sand, pebbles, and pottery deposited over a large area outside of the harbor. The lower portion of the deposit was composed of angular shell fragments, and the upper portion of whole convex-up Glycymeris spp. shells. The sequence records tsunami downcutting (∼1 m) into shelf sands, with the return flow sorting and depositing angular shell fragments followed by oriented whole shells. Radiocarbon dating of articulated Glycymeris shells, and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dates, constrain the age of the deposit to between the first century B.C. and the second century A.D., and point to the tsunami of A.D. 115 as the most likely candidate for the event, and the probable cause of the harbor destruction. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.