Evidence of a massive 4th century quake unearthed

An ongoing excavation at the ancient Cypriot city of Kourion has provided visible evidence of the magnitude of a 4th century earthquake that caused widespread destruction in several countries of the eastern Mediterranean, an official of the Antiquities Department said on Tuesday.

The quake, believed to have occurred on July 21, 365 AD, caused considerable damage to Greece, Crete, Turkey, Egypt and Cyprus, flattening Kourion on the south shore of the island, according to data provided by the Cypriot Geological Survey Department.

This year's excavation in Kourion, carried out by several US universities in association with the antiquities department, concentrated on a large collapsed building which has come to be known as the "earthquake house."