AD 17 Lydia earthquake (original) (raw)

The AD 17 Lydia earthquake caused the destruction of at least twelve cities in the region of Lydia in the Roman province of Asia in Asia Minor (now part of Turkey). The earthquake was recorded by the Roman historians Tacitus and Pliny the Elder, and the Greek historians Strabo and Eusebius. Pliny called it "the greatest earthquake in human memory" (Nat. Hist. 2:86 §200). The city of Sardis, the former capital of the Lydian Empire, was the most affected and never completely recovered from the destruction.