Earthquake, Archaeoseismology

Synonyms

Earthquake archaeology

Definition

The study of pre-instrumental earthquakes that, by affecting locations of human occupation and their environments, have left their mark in ancient structures uncovered by means of archaeological excavations or pertaining to the monumental heritage (Buck and Stewart 2000; Galadini et al. 2006).

Introduction

Ever since man-made structures have been erected, earthquakes have left their marks on these constructions. However, damage in archaeologically excavated buildings or continuously preserved monuments is often hard to unravel in terms of the causative effects. The use of archaeological data to investigate unknown or poorly known historical earthquakes and descriptions of earthquake effects was recorded in the archaeological heritage started in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (e.g., De Rossi 1874; Schliemann 1881; Evans 1928). Since the 1980s, the increased interest in the subject led to the publication of special volumes and...