What caused the 426 BC Malian Gulf tsunami?

In the summer of 426 BC, a devastating tsunami struck the coasts of the Malian and Euboean Gulfs in Greece. The ancient Greek historian Thucydides investigated the disaster and concluded that it was triggered by an earthquake. This marked the first known historical instance of correctly identifying a geological cause for a tsunami, contrasting with earlier divine explanations.

What we know

• The 426 BC Malian Gulf tsunami devastated the coasts of the Malian and Euboean Gulfs in Greece during the summer of 426 BC. [2]
• Thucydides concluded that the tsunami must have been caused by a preceding earthquake. [2, 3]
• Thucydides is historically recognized as the first person known to correctly interpret the cause of a tsunami as a geological event rather than divine wrath. [2]

Where to go next

• how we knowHow did Thucydides explain the tsunami in his writings?
• what followedWhat damages did the Malian Gulf tsunami cause?
• compared withHow did ancient Greeks view natural disasters before Thucydides?
• whereWhat are the geographical features of the Malian Gulf?
• the bigger pictureWhat other tsunamis occurred in ancient Greece?
• an unexpected connectionHow does Herodotus explain earlier tsunamis?While Thucydides correctly identified a physical, seismic cause for the 426 BC tsunami, Herodotus attributed an earlier 479 BC tsunami to the divine wrath of Poseidon.

Sources

• [1]426 BC Malian Gulf tsunami (Wikidata Q1348784) · CC0 1.0
• [2]426 BC Malian Gulf tsunami · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]List of tsunamis · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Malian Gulf · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]List of tsunamis in Europe · CC BY-SA 4.0