T66 Archaeological and Geoarchaeological Records of Natural and Human—Induced Disasters
Monday, 23 October 2006
8:00 AM - 12:00 PM
THE TSUNAMI OF DECEMBER 13, 115 A.D. AND THE DESTRUCTION OF HEROD THE GREAT'S HARBOR AT CAESAREA MARITIMA, ISRAEL
Paper number: T66-9
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 10:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Authors
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Beverly N. GoodmanUniversity of Haifa, Eilat, N/A
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Joe BoyceMcMaster University, Hamilton, ON
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Gloria LopezMcMaster University, Hamilton, ON
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Peter van HengstumMcMaster University, Hamilton, ON
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W.J. RinkMcMaster University, Hamilton, ON
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Yossi MartUniversity of Haifa, Haifa, N/A
Abstract
Underwater geoarchaeological excavations on the shallow shelf (?10 m depth) have documented a tsunami that struck and damaged the ancient harbor at Caesarea, Israel on December 13, 115 A.D. The tsunami was recorded in the Talmud and was likely triggered by an earthquake that destroyed the city of Antioch on the same date. The tsunami deposit consisted of a ?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, whole convex-up Glycymeris spp. shells. The deposit sedimentary and taphonomic characteristics are consistent with tsunami downcutting (?1m) into shelf sands, with return flow sorting and deposition of angular shell fragments followed by oriented whole shells. Radiocarbon dating of articulated Glycymeris shells and OSL dates constrain the age of the deposit to the 1st c. B.C. to 2nd c. A.D. and point to the tsunami of 115 A.D. as the most likely candidate for the event and the probable cause of the harbor destruction.