Evidence of Late Roman collapse at Catania (Sicily, southern Italy): An earthquake in the 4th century AD?

Abstract

Simultaneous collapse of ancient historical buildings followed by sudden reconstruction, deduced from archaeological reports, provides indirect evidence for an earthquake in ancient Catania (Sicily, southern Italy). This event in the middle of the 4th century AD is consistent with the 365 AD seismic sequence known from historical sources, which report, wide destruction in Sicily and in the Mediterranean area. This period was characterized by political, economic, and social instability in the Roman empire. In this historical context, the earthquake effects may have been obscured or overlooked to some extent and consequently the documentary information on ancient earthquakes, when available, is sparse and lacking objectivity. This study covers three historical buildings in Catania and provides precise dating of earthquake destruction.