The Seventh Earthquake
Encyclopedia
The Seventh Earthquake Ra'ash Shvi'it, also known as the Earthquake of 749, was a devastating earthquake
that struck Palestine
and eastern Jordan
on January 18, 749.
The cities of Tiberias, Beit She'an, Hippos
and Pella
were largely destroyed while many other cities across the Levant
were heavily damaged. In addition, the earthquake reportedly claimed tens of thousands of victims.
, Hippos
(Sussita), Pella
, suffered widespread damage. A Coptic priest from Alexandria reported that support beams had shifted in houses in Egypt and a Syrian priest wrote that a village near Mount Tabor
had "moved a distance of four miles." Other sources reported tidal waves in the Mediterranean Sea
, several days of aftershocks in Damascus, and towns swallowed up in the earth.
The death toll in Jerusalem numbered in the thousands. Many buildings, among them the Al-Aqsa Mosque
, were severely damaged. The town of Umm el Kanatir
and its ancient synagogue were destroyed.
"Ra'ash shvi'it" is mentioned in piyyutim (Jewish liturgical poems). Some rabbis believe the earthquake struck in a Sabbatical year
, in which case, the translation of the term would be "earthquake of the seventh year."
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
that struck Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and eastern Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
on January 18, 749.
The cities of Tiberias, Beit She'an, Hippos
Hippos
Hippos is an archaeological site in Israel, located on a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Between the 3rd century BC and the 7th century AD, Hippos was the site of a Greco-Roman city. Besides the fortified city itself, Hippos controlled two port facilities on the lake and an area of the...
and Pella
Pella, Jordan
Pella is a village and the site of ancient ruins in northwestern Jordan. It is half an hour by car from Irbid, in the north of the country....
were largely destroyed while many other cities across the Levant
Levant
The Levant or ) is the geographic region and culture zone of the "eastern Mediterranean littoral between Anatolia and Egypt" . The Levant includes most of modern Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian territories, and sometimes parts of Turkey and Iraq, and corresponds roughly to the...
were heavily damaged. In addition, the earthquake reportedly claimed tens of thousands of victims.
Damage and casualties
According to historical sources, Scythopolis (Beit She'an), Tiberias, CapernaumCapernaum
Capernaum was a fishing village in the time of the Hasmoneans. Located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. It had a population of about 1,500. Archaeological excavations have revealed two ancient synagogues built one over the other...
, Hippos
Hippos
Hippos is an archaeological site in Israel, located on a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Between the 3rd century BC and the 7th century AD, Hippos was the site of a Greco-Roman city. Besides the fortified city itself, Hippos controlled two port facilities on the lake and an area of the...
(Sussita), Pella
Pella, Jordan
Pella is a village and the site of ancient ruins in northwestern Jordan. It is half an hour by car from Irbid, in the north of the country....
, suffered widespread damage. A Coptic priest from Alexandria reported that support beams had shifted in houses in Egypt and a Syrian priest wrote that a village near Mount Tabor
Mount Tabor
-Places:*Mount Tabor, a hill in Israel near Nazareth believed by many to be the site of the Transfiguration of ChristIn the United States:*Mount Tabor, Indiana, an unincorporated community...
had "moved a distance of four miles." Other sources reported tidal waves in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
, several days of aftershocks in Damascus, and towns swallowed up in the earth.
The death toll in Jerusalem numbered in the thousands. Many buildings, among them the Al-Aqsa Mosque
Al-Aqsa Mosque
Al-Aqsa Mosque also known as al-Aqsa, is the third holiest site in Sunni Islam and is located in the Old City of Jerusalem...
, were severely damaged. The town of Umm el Kanatir
Umm el Kanatir
Um el Kanatir is an archaeological site in the Golan Heights. Archaeological excavations have revealed a Roman-era Jewish city and synagogue.-History:...
and its ancient synagogue were destroyed.
Religious significance
Sabbatical year
Sabbatical or a sabbatical is a rest from work, or a hiatus, often lasting from two months to a year. The concept of sabbatical has a source in shmita, described several places in the Bible...
, in which case, the translation of the term would be "earthquake of the seventh year."
External links
- Margaliot Mordechai, "Determining the Time of Seventh Earthquake", Israel Exploration Society 8, 1940/1941.
- Margaliot Mordechai, "A New Record of the Fasting Earthquake", Tarbitz 29, 1959/1960, pp. 339–344.
- Tsafrir Y. Ferster C, "On the Dating of the Seventh Earthquake", Tarbitz 58, 1988/1989, pp. 357–362.
- The Seventh Earthquake – The Death of the City