The 139 Mcurn earthquake is listed in bibliographical records of

seismology Seismology (; from Ancient Greek σεισμός (''seismós'') meaning "earthquake" and -λογία (''-logía'') meaning "study of") is the scientific study of earthquakes and the propagation of elastic waves through the Earth or through other ...

as having affected the city of Mcurn (modern Hösnek,

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

).Guidoboni, Traina, 1995, p. 112-113 The earthquake reportedly took place in the vicinity of

Mount Ararat Mount Ararat or , ''Ararat''; or is a snow-capped and dormant compound volcano in the extreme east of Turkey. It consists of two major volcanic cones: Greater Ararat and Little Ararat. Greater Ararat is the highest peak in Turkey and th ...

. The region was part of the historic Kingdom of Armenia, corresponding to eastern areas of modern Turkey. A primary source for the earthquake is the work of the historian

Movses Khorenatsi Movses Khorenatsi (ca. 410–490s AD; hy, Մովսէս Խորենացի, , also written as ''Movses Xorenac‘i'' and Moses of Khoren, Moses of Chorene, and Moses Chorenensis in Latin sources) was a prominent Armenian historian from the late an ...

(5th century).Guidoboni, Traina, 1995, p. 112-113 Khorenatsi reported that the city of Mcbin-Nisibis (modern

Nusaybin Nusaybin (; '; ar, نُصَيْبِيْن, translit=Nuṣaybīn; syr, ܢܨܝܒܝܢ, translit=Nṣībīn), historically known as Nisibis () or Nesbin, is a city in Mardin Province, Turkey. The population of the city is 83,832 as of 2009 and is ...

) was reconstructed by

Sanatruk Sanatruk ( hy, Սանատրուկ, Latinized as ''Sanatruces'') was a member of the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia who succeeded Tiridates I of Armenia as King of Armenia at the end of the 1st century. He was also King of Osroene (reigned 91–109 ...

, following the city's destruction by an earthquake. It is unclear whether this Sanatruk was a king of Armenia or a Parthian invader. According to Khorenatsi's narrative, Sanatruk demolished the ruins of Nisibis and then rebuilt the city. The new city was reportedly more magnificent than its predecessor, fortified with a double

defensive wall A defensive wall is a fortification usually used to protect a city, town or other settlement from potential aggressors. The walls can range from simple palisades or earthworks to extensive military fortifications with towers, bastions and gates ...

and an

outwork An outwork is a minor fortification built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached. Outworks such as ravelins, lunettes (demilunes), flèches and caponiers to shield bastions and fortification curtains ...

.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995, p. 112-113 The location of the earthquake is unclear. Mcbin was the Armenian name for Nisibis. But Nisibis was traditionally located in

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the F ...

, not in Armenia. The historian

Sebeos Sebeos () was a 7th-century Armenian bishop and historian. Little is known about the author, though a signature on the resolution of the Ecclesiastical Council of Dvin in 645 reads 'Bishop Sebeos of Bagratunis.' His writings are valuable as one o ...

(7th century) mentions a palace of

, which was located in Nisibis. Sebeos drew information from earlier sources, and his narrative may have been influenced by Khorenatsi.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995, p. 112-113 The historian

Faustus of Byzantium Faustus of Byzantium (also Faustus the Byzantine, hy, Փաւստոս Բուզանդ, translit=P'awstos Buzand) was an Armenian historian of the 5th century. Faustus' ''History of the Armenians'' (also known as '' Buzandaran Patmut'iwnk) exists ...

(4th-5th century) reports that Sanatruk reconstructed the city of Mcurn, and not that of Mcbin. Mcurn was an Armenian city, located near the river

Euphrates The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...

. Its exact site is unidentified. The difference concerning the identity of the reconstructed city may be based on a spelling mistake. Mcbin's name was also spelled as "Mcuin", closer to the name of Mcurn.Guidoboni, Traina, 1995, p. 112-113 The Armenian historians drew information from ancient

legend A legend is a Folklore genre, genre of folklore that consists of a narrative featuring human actions, believed or perceived, both by teller and listeners, to have taken place in human history. Narratives in this genre may demonstrate human valu ...

s and oral traditions, placing doubt on the reported date and location of the earthquake. The traditional date of this earthquake is the year 139, but it may have instead occurred in earlier or later years of the 2nd century,Guidoboni, Traina, 1995, p. 112-113 since Sanatruk died around 110.

References

Sources

* {{coord missing, Turkey 139 130s in the Roman Empire 2nd-century earthquakes 2nd century in Armenia Nusaybin Earthquakes in the Roman Empire Mount Ararat Earthquakes in Turkey Earthquakes in Armenia