Inc

Scroll down the acticle below

Earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis - Jane Bourke - Google Books

about 2/3's of the way and you should see a reference to an earthquake in Rome in 476AD, apparantly destroying the city. News to me. Is this true?

Brisieis

Not sure, but Italy is known to have earthquakes sometimes.

Altinidas Gurulius

I did not know anything about an earthquake in Rome in 476 A.D. either, but I did a little bit of searching online and I was able to find only a couple of short references to the event. We know that Rome fell from many factors, but I am sure the earthquake had a large "impact" on its fall too.

It would be interesting to know even more about the earthquake and how much damage it caused in Rome, as well as how much of an effect it had on the fall of Rome.

Inc

Indeed - I'm curious as to its effect on the political landscape of the time. (as if they hadn't enough to deal with)

Brisieis

Maybe so.

In 464BCE Sparta suffered an earthquake that indirectly caused troubles between Sparta and Athens, could well have been one cause of the Peloponnesian war. (Although war was probably inevitable)

I am interested in this Roman earthquake too.

Mischef_Managed

I'm liking your pun. I don't think an Earthquake would have had enough effect to cause the fall of Rome. I don't think you're taking account that Rome didn't truly "fall" in 476. The Empire had been ruined for a sum of time before 476. 476 was just the year that Odoacer deposed the final Emperor and acted as the last straw. Rome didn't have enough political power to influence anybody even ten years before 476.

As such, the Earthquake was probably so insignificant that it couldn't have done anything to Rome.

Altinidas Gurulius

That is all very true. It probably did not have too large of an effect on Rome, with everything else going on during that period. Maybe that is why it is very rarely mentioned.

Eumenes

It is worth noting as well that by 476 Rome had long since been surpassed in prominence by other cities in the Empire and was already in steep decline. Ravenna and Milan were the centers of Imperial power in Italy in the late Empire; Rome was fast becoming a backwater.

EpicHistory360

Interesting... with all the scrutinizing on why the great civilization of Rome fell, you'd think one would hear about an earthquake. I find it very hard to believe, but the author must have much more knowledge than me, so I am forced to take her word for now.

Let's ask Guaporense, he should know.

Inc

Fair point - I was going 'old school' taking the traditional date given for Rome's demise, when in fact the rot had set in way before then.