341 Earthquake: Antakya (Antioch), Cyprus (Salamis), Turkey

Note: effects listed below are from series of earthquakes, not a single event

342, Antakaya, 40000 dead. (ref #1002)

342, int VII-VIII, Antioch (ref #1222)

342, Cyprus, Famagusta. During the years 341 to 343 a series of destructive earthquakes occurred in the Southern coasts of Asia Minor and in the island of Cyprus. These events are mentioned by many chroniclers of the time, who do not agree on the date of the earthquake in Cyprus. A most interesting analysis of these texts was made by Sathas (1873), who proved beyond doubt that the earthquake in Cyprus should have occurred in 342 AD, and that minor seismic activity might have proceeded and followed this earthquake. Allowing for natural exaggerations, there can not have been much of Salamis in Cyprus left standing after this, and the emperor rebuilt it as Constantia (Sathas 1873). Paphos was so badly damaged, that it was not for some time rebuilt. (ref #23)

341, Antakya. int VI (ref #1071)

342, Paphos, Famagusta, Salamis, Larnaka-Cyprus. intensity IX-XI. (ref #9275)

341, Antioch. The historian Socrates records a series of earthquakes in the eastern Mediterranean, and in particular at Antioch, entering them under the year 341 AD. Theophanes gives the date as the year of the world 5833 [341 A.D.]. According to the Maronite Chronicle (second half of the 7th century) , which does not date the earthquake, but places it after the death of Constantine [337] , the shocks lasted for thirteen days; but this may be a scribal error. Cedrenus says that the earthquake at Antioch lasted for three days in the fourth and fifth years of the reign of Constantius II. Since he reigned from 337 to 361 An, the year in question must be 341/342. (ref #9285)

341 Salamis, Antioch. An earthquake during the second half of AD 341 caused the greater part of Salamis, on the east coast of Cyprus, to collapse and the rest of the city to slump into the sea, killing many people. Paphos was so badly damaged by the earthquakes of AD 332 and 341 that it was not rebuilt for some time. The earthquake, which probably had an offshore epicentre, was felt over a large area on the mainland, causing great concern in the region of Antioch. Aftershocks lasted for three days […] The earthquake happened immediately after the Synod held in Antioch during the summer of AD 341, and caused great panic in the city, although apparently no damage. It is obvious, therefore, why most contemporary and later church chroniclers link this event to Antioch rather than to nearby Cyprus […] A close contemporary, St Jerome, mentions only that an earthquake occurred in the East, which he dates to the fourth year of Constantine II (9 September 340 to 8 September 341), his description being an ‘umbrella’ for the Antioch and Salamis earthquakes in AD 341. Orosius (writing in the fifth century) follows St Jerome. Michael (in the twelfth century) attributes the effects at Antioch Salamis to the same earthquake of AD 341. The Syriac Chronicle of James of Edessa places this in the same year as ‘ Constantine made war on the Franks ’, which appears to be Ol.280 (AD 341–344). The Chronicon ad annum 724 (dating from the eighth century) mentions this event […] in AD 341. Theophanes gives a.M. 5833 (September 340 to August 341), misinterpreted by Capelle as AD 334 (Capelle 1923, 356) […] [Malalas] places it during the reign of Constantius I Chlorus (AD 305–306), who, in fact, never reigned over Cyprus. Theophanes places it in the same year as Constantius II’s triumph, a.M. 5834 (Sept 341 to Aug 342). This makes more sense, because Constantius was emperor in the East […] Modern cataloguers (Oberhummer 1903, 140; Guidoboni 1989, 674) read the Greek text (Mal. CS. 313) to mean that the earthquake was associated with a seismic sea wave. My reading of the text does not imply the occurrence of a seismic sea wave. (ref #9116)