What was the tsunami described by Herodotus at Potidaea?

The 479 BC Potidaea tsunami is recognized as the oldest recorded paleotsunami in human history. Triggered by a major earthquake in the north Aegean Sea, the giant wave famously destroyed a Persian army that was attacking the Greek colony. While the historian Thucydides later correctly deduced that tsunamis result from seismic activity, Herodotus attributed this specific event to the divine wrath of the god Poseidon.

What we know

• The 479 BC Potidaea tsunami stands as the oldest record of a paleotsunami in human history. [3, 5]
• The tsunami is believed to have been triggered by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake in the north Aegean Sea. [3] · medium confidence
• The disaster destroyed a Persian army from the Achaemenid Empire that was in the middle of attacking the town of Potidaea. [3, 5]
• Herodotus attributed the destructive event to the divine wrath of Poseidon, contrasting with later writers who linked tsunamis to earthquakes. [4]

Where to go next

• how we knowHow did ancient historians figure out what caused tsunamis?
• what caused itWhat caused the 479 BC Aegean earthquake?
• what followedHow did the tsunami save the colony from the Achaemenid Empire?
• whereWhere did the Corinthians found the colony of Potidaea?
• compared withWhat other tsunamis struck ancient Greece?
• an unexpected connectionWhy did one historian blame Poseidon while another blamed earthquakes?While Herodotus viewed the Potidaea disaster as divine punishment from Poseidon, contemporaries like Thucydides pioneered rational seismic explanations for the same phenomenon.

Sources

• [1]Potidaea (Wikidata Q999468) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Potidaea · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]479 BC Potidaea earthquake · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]426 BC Malian Gulf tsunami · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]List of tsunamis · CC BY-SA 4.0