262 Earthquake: S Coasts, Libya, Turkey

Reference #9116 separates two events (262 Cyrene and 262 Ephesus).

262 Cyrene, Modern writers. with little or no justification, place this event in the oasis of Siwa (Sieberg 1932b, 188), 280 km south of al-Bardia in Libya, or add Asia Minor and a seismic sea wave to the regions affected by the same shock.

262 Ephesus. Destructive earthquakes and seismic sea waves are reported, which were worst in the cities of Asia. In many places, which are not specified, earthquakes caused the earth to open up and slat water appeared in the fissures, while elsewhere the sea overwhelmed many towns.

These events took place during the consulship of Gallienus and Fausianus, and Ephesus may have been among the cities which were affected, since its temple and library were destroyed at about this time, although this may have been due to a Scythian invasion (Karwiese 1985, 126).

Trebellius provides most of the available information for these earthquakes, although Karwiese indicates the destruction of the temple and library at Ephesus, which, he claims can be dated from ceramics found in the vicinity to the second half of the this century. He also states that this destruction was not necessarily caused by an earthquake, since Scythians were destroying the area of Asia up to Cappadocia, Pession and Ephesus at this time (Zos, I, xxviii, 1).

(above from reference #9116)

AD 262. Libya. Strong earthquakes caused considerable damage in Libya in the fifth consulship of Gallienus, with Faustinus (i.e. AD 262). It is possible, but not certain, that the shock primarily affected Cyrenaica, where there is archaeological evidence of destruction in the city of Cyrene, which was rebuilt with the new name Claudiopolis in 268. Sieberg, without quoting an authority, suggests that this earthquake destroyed the oasis of Siwa in Egypt, 280 km away. (reference #3845)

262. From an Anonymous (ref #10478) in Scriptores Historiae Augustae we learn of a disastrous earthquake in Asia Minor under the consulship of Gallienus and Faustinianus. Felt also in Lybia and in Rome (?). Many victims. Sea inundated many towns (Antonopoulos, ref #23, quoting "Gallieni" by Trebellius Pollio).

262 AD. South Coasts of Asia Minor (iv?). From Trebellius Pollio we learn that in the consulship of Liciniusb Gallionus desasterous earthquakes occurred in Asia Minor and in Lybia. Many houses collapsed causing a large number of deaths, and in many places large cracks opened into the ground, and clefts were formed. The sea overwhelmed many cities (Gallieni, lib. v, Q 2-6). Trebellius says also that these earthquakes occurred while a great pestilence raged in the east. The pestilence, which is also mentioned by Eusebius (Eccles. History, lib. vii, Q 22) together with the fact that at that time Gallienus was consul, fixes the time of this event in 262 AD. It does not seem certain that these earthquakes happened at the same time in Asia Minor and in Lybia. Nor that the inundations alluded to by Pollio took place in Asia Minor. We were unable to find a more detailed information to these events. (reference #23)