Significant earthquakes of 33 BC

33 BC Earthquake: Palestine, Israel

33 BC · 30,000 deaths

An earthquake struck Palestine, Israel in 33 BC. It killed 30,000 people.

Map

Where it struck, with the other significant earthquakes within 200 km. Circles are sized and colored by magnitude; select one for its page.

The earthquake

Date
33 BC
Place
Palestine, Israel
Intensity
9 on the Modified Mercalli scale
Tsunami
None recorded
Epicenter
31.200° N, 34.200° E
Country
Israel

The toll

Deaths
30,000

Where the literature gives no number, NCEI records a description on a scale of 1 to 4, printed here in its words. Damage is in millions of US dollars of the year of the event, not adjusted for inflation.

What the record says

NCEI’s account, from the sources it cites.

33 B.C., intensity IX, Palestine, 30,000 victims. (reference #1222)

33 or 32 B.C., Palestine, 30,000 men lost their lives. (reference #521)

Other significant earthquakes nearby

Within 200 km, the deadliest first.

More

Significant earthquakes of 33 BC99 to 1 BCRecent earthquakes near here

Sources

Significant earthquakes from NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information, Global Historical Hazard Database, cited as NCEI/WDS, doi:10.7289/V5PN93H7. Public domain. Read 2026-09-24. NCEI earthquake 34.