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Greek Seismology Greek Seismology Being an Annotated Sourcebook of Earthquake Theories and Concepts in Classical Antiquity By Christopher L. Liner Department of Geosciences University of Tulsa October 1997 v. 2.0 To Janet For Her Love, Patience and Understanding "The ancients attributed earthquakes to supernatural causes..." K. E. Bullen (An Intro. To The Theory of Seismology, Camb. Univ. Press, 3rd ed. 1963, p.1) "It will help also to keep in mind that gods cause none of these things and that neither heaven nor earth is overturned by the wrath of divinities. These phenomena have causes of their own..." Seneca (Natural Questions, c.62 AD, Book 6.3) CONTENTS CONTENTS .......................................................................................................................................................4 PREFACE ..........................................................................................................................................................5 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................8 SCOPE AND PURPOSE........................................................................................................................................8 NATURAL PHILOSOPHY VS NATURAL SCIENCE.................................................................................................8 HISTORICAL OUTLINE OF GREEK PHILOSOPHY................................................................................................10 SOURCES AND THEORIES ................................................................................................................................12 EARTHQUAKES IN THE BIBLE ..........................................................................................................................15 EARTHQUAKES IN PRE-SOCRATIC GREEK LITERATURE...................................................................................17 SOME CONCLUSIONS ......................................................................................................................................21 PART I: FULL EARTHQUAKE QUOTATIONS IN THE SEVEN SOURCES. .....................................23 ARISTOTLE METEOROLOGICA.........................................................................................................................24 LUCRETIUS DE RERUM NATURA.....................................................................................................................32 SENECA NATURAL QUESTIONS .......................................................................................................................35 PLINY NATURAL HISTORY ..............................................................................................................................55 PSEUDO-PLUTARCH PLACITA PHILOSOPHORUM.............................................................................................62 DIOGENES LAERTIUS LIVES OF EMMINENT PHILOSOPHERS ...........................................................................65 AMMIANUS MARCELLINUS THE ROMAN HISTORY.........................................................................................68 PART II: CATALOGUE OF EARTHQUAKE THEORIES.......................................................................74 THALES...........................................................................................................................................................75 ANAXIMANDER...............................................................................................................................................77 PHERECYDES ..................................................................................................................................................78 ANAXIMENES..................................................................................................................................................79 ANAXAGORAS.................................................................................................................................................81 PARMENIDES ..................................................................................................................................................83 DIOGENES OF APOLLONIA ..............................................................................................................................84 ARCHELAUS....................................................................................................................................................86 ANTIPHON THE SOPHIST .................................................................................................................................87 DEMOCRITUS..................................................................................................................................................88 PLATO.............................................................................................................................................................90 ARISTOTLE......................................................................................................................................................91 THEOPHRASTUS ............................................................................................................................................104 CALLISTHENES..............................................................................................................................................105 METRODORUS...............................................................................................................................................107 EPICURUS .....................................................................................................................................................108 ZENO ............................................................................................................................................................111 STRATO ........................................................................................................................................................113 POSIDONIUS ..................................................................................................................................................114 ASCLEPIODOTUS ...........................................................................................................................................116 SENECA ........................................................................................................................................................117 APPENDIX A: PSEUDO-ARISTOTLE ON THE COSMOS ................................................................................122 REFERENCES...............................................................................................................................................124 INDEX ............................................................................................................................................................127 PREFACE This book was written some years ago. It was the outgrowth of my interest in seismology, Greek civilization, and the history of science. I wrote it for myself, and perhaps as something to leave my children (who came later). There were occasional attempts to publish the work, but these were feeble and found no success. However, one of these attempts led to my column "Seismos" in The Leading Edge, a publication of the Society of Exploration Geophysicists. In fact, two of the early columns dealt with subject matter mined from this book. One was the unique reference in Herodotus to the earliest known instance of reflection seismology. The present book is largely unchanged from the original version of 1985, although II have taken a few opportunities to extend the text. Also, the text has been completely ported to new software by Ms. Inta Arpandi, to whom I am very grateful. Finally, I greatly appreciate the efforts of Dr. J. Scales, and others, for conceiving and maintaining Samizdat free press. It has allowed me to share this work with others. I hope those of you reading this will feel some of the fascination and joy which I find in the subject. C.L.L Tulsa, Oklahoma 10 October, 1997 Preface to the original version I set out some time ago to research a history of seismology. It is always a question as to where such a history should begin. The modern reflection seismologist might want it to begin with the advent of electronic computers in the 1950's and the ensuing near-miraculous explosion of theory and technology. This alone would be sufficient material for a lengthy history. Or, he might want the history to begin with the first reflection seismic experiments by Karcher around 1916. The period since 1910 would also be important to the earthquake seismologist. But, he would probably feel shorted unless the history included the pioneering work of Milne, Rayleigh, Lamb and Oldham in the period 1880-1910. And to be thorough the work of Robert Mallet would have to be discussed taking the history back to 1850. To cover the beginnings of observational seismology would push it back a few years further, the first electro-magnetic seismometer dating from about 1841. The trail might end there so far as modern observational seismology is concerned, but this seismological work was possible only because a certain level of theoretical understanding had been achieved concerning the physics of mechanical wave propagation in continuous
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