Earthquakes were the cause of why Sagalassos was abandoned. The earthquake of 518 AD was noticeable, but mainly those of
644 and 661 separated by seventeen years only (see: Sagalassos in Alexander's campaign).
Of course, Turkey is prone to earthquakes, and Sagalassos is no exception, but for the archaeologists working there in the summer of 2014, it must have felt like an experience from past history. It happened on the
night of 24 August 2014 while they were asleep in the nearby town of Ağlasun . The entire area was hit by two
successive earthquakes. Those who have ever experienced such a tremor of the earth
will know that a magnitude of 5.2 is enough to shake your bones! There were two
successive shocks, the last making the sound of a massive explosion. Several
aftershocks followed – they always feel less threatening because one is much
more aware. An interesting detail is that the faultline running through Sagalassos
itself moved!
The report from the field team at Ağlasun is very lively, and the villagers' reaction could have been that of the Sagalossians some 1500 years ago.
Everybody was wide awake and poured into the street to inquire about their neighbors'
well-being and that of the archaeological team from Belgium . Once it was established
that there were no injuries and that buildings had suffered only minor damage,
the community decided to make up their beds in the open, including the
archaeologists. However, two team members decided to drive to Sagalassos
to inspect their restoration projects. They found no sign of any damage, and neither did they the following day by daylight.
Strangely enough, the water from the late
Hellenistic well used by the entire team for their work and as drinking
water was very turbid. In our 21st century, they could drive their
pick-up truck back to the village for bottled water, but the lack of drinking
water must have had more severe consequences in antiquity, even when people
and buildings were unharmed.
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