Seismic catastrophes at the ancient city of Sagalassos (SW Turkey) and their implications for seismotectonics in the Burdur-Isparta area

The ancient city of Sagalassos, situated c. 10 km south of Isparta (SW Turkey), is located on the southeastern outskirts of an area affected by a number of large earthquakes (Ms > 6.0) in the last century, and where a number of seismogenic faults are identified. Archaeological relics at Sagalassos show ample evidence that the city experienced severe earthquake damage early in the sixth century AD and in the middle of the seventh century AD. This last seismic catastrophe even seems to have caused the abandonment of the city. It is postulated that the city was situated in the macroseismic epicentre, although the causative fault has not yet been identified. Based on satellite imagery, and both geological and geomorphological field evidence in the region of Sagalassos, NE–SW‐trending and ENE–WSW‐trending tectonic lines are considered as candidates for the seismogenic faults that caused the devastating earthquakes. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.