Ancient World's Deadliest Catastrophe: The 365 AD Crete Earthquake & Tsunami

365 Crete Earthquake, July 21, AD 365

The tsunami in 365 was so devastating that the anniversary of the disaster was still commemorated annually at the end of the sixth century in Alexandria as a "day of horror."

John Malalas describes the earthquake's intensity as "the brink of the apocalypse" and states that this disaster caused a massive tsunami with waves reaching as far as Egypt.

Geologists today estimate that the undersea earthquake had a moment magnitude of 8.5 or higher.

In his writings, Orosius notes that this calamity caused "great fear and chaos" within the Roman Empire and resulted in the deaths of millions of people.

Marcellinus described the tsunami in detail:

"A little after daybreak, foreshadowed by a succession of violent thunderbolts, the whole earth shook and trembled. The sea receded, its waves retreated and disappeared, so that the abyss of the depths was revealed and a great variety of sea creatures were seen trapped in the slime. Many ships ran aground, and people wandered among the exposed seabed, gathering fish and other items. Then the roaring sea rose up, passing through the crowded shoals, and crashed violently upon the islands and vast areas of the mainland, flattening countless buildings. Unexpectedly, the returning waters drowned thousands of people, throwing huge ships perched on rooftops and launching others almost two miles from the shore."

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