Earthquake in Sagalassos!

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 21^st 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.