Comment on “The 373 B.C. Helike (Gulf of Corinth, Greece) Earthquake and Tsunami, Revisited” by

Abstract

We are writing this comment because the presentation and the conclusions reached by Stiros (2022) regarding the catastrophic Helike earthquake of 373 B.C. neglect significant historical sources and scientific data from longstanding geoarchaeological work and excavations in the Helike region and offer an incomplete picture of the knowledge acquired about this famous earthquake of Classical Greece. In particular, the attempted re-examination of ancient sources is incomplete and subjective, serving the author’s a priori view that accounts of the 373 B.C. earthquake are later fabrications from Roman times. To this end, Stiros neglects published archaeological data dated from soon after the 373 B.C. catastrophe and wrongly concludes that the area did not experience repeated earthquake phenomena. Furthermore, his proposal that the Helike and Aigion faults are identical is an evident geological error. Instead, the two faults are 5 km apart, and their seismological evolution and tectonic geomorphology are quite different.

From worshipping Tyche to playing with wild cards

“…15,48,1; Paus. 7,25,4) by the sequence of an unusually strong earthquake and one of the rare tsunamis occurring in the region (Katsonopoulou, 2016). This unusual, unexpected, and potentially unthinkable sequence set the scene for disaster: even though they were organised in the Achaean League, an association of cities that had vowed to assist each other in case of emergency, the Helikonians had offended the other members by disrespecting their wish to hand over one of their statues to a delegation from Ionia (present‐day Turkish coast).…”