Abstract
Abstract The ancient city of Sagalassos, located 7 km north of the ilçe (centre of an administrative unit) of Ağlasun in the Turkish province of Burdur, was an important centre during the Roman period. The collapse and subsequent repairs of buildings may suggest that at least four distinct earthquakes struck this city. These could have occurred in the second half of the first century AD, the middle of the third century AD, the first quarter of the sixth century AD and the middle of he seventh century AD. The youngest of these four earthquakes could have been so destructive that the city was abandoned. The age of this earthquake is based on coins and pottery dated to the middle of the seventh century AD, overlain by the collapsed monuments. Additional evidence is provided by the fractures in a baked mosaic floor belonging to a library, set on fire in the third quarter of the fourth century AD and filled in with waste material and earth during the fire. A directional analysis of the fractures in the mosaic floor of the Library, on the pavement of the Upper Agora and on the Theatre steps gives some insight into the local stress field associated with this earthquake. The palaeostress field, inferred from this analysis, is similar to that created by a transtensional strike-slip activity on an E-W-trending tear fault, situated just north of the city. Although it cannot be proven that the earthquake was related to activity along this fault, the magnitude of the destruction suggests an epicentre in the proximity of the city.
Published Version
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