464 BC Sparta earthquake
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| Date | 464 BC |
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| Magnitude | 7.2 Ms |
| Epicenter | 37°05′N 22°26′E / 37.08°N 22.43°ECoordinates: 37°05′N 22°26′E / 37.08°N 22.43°E |
| Areas affected | Sparta, Greece |
| Casualties | up to 20,000 |
The Sparta earthquake of 464 BC destroyed much of Sparta, a city-state of ancient Greece. Historical sources suggest that the death toll may have been as high as 20,000, although modern scholars suggest that this figure is likely an exaggeration. The earthquake sparked a revolt of the helots, the slave class of Spartan society. Events surrounding this revolt led to an increase in tension between Sparta and their rival Athens and the cancellation of a treaty between them. After the troops of a relief expedition dispatched by conservative Athenians were sent back with cold thanks, Athenian democracy itself fell into the hands of reformers and moved toward a more populist and anti-Spartan policy. Therefore, this earthquake is cited by historical sources as one of the key events that led up to the First Peloponnesian War.
Accounts of the earthquake and its consequences are based on only a few often unreliable historical sources, specifically the writings of Strabo, Pausanias, Plutarch, and Thucydides. It is difficult to judge the exact epicenter and magnitude of the earthquake, as the science of seismology had not been developed and the historical sources are few, but it has been described as 'medium to large' by historians. It likely occurred due to vertical movement on a fault by the Taygetus Mountains. A 1991 study attempted to locate the fault responsible for the event and estimate the magnitude of the earthquake based on satellite imagery and fieldwork. The authors of the study conclude that if the 464 BC event took place along the fault scarp that they identify, its magnitude would have been approximately 7.2 on the surface wave magnitude scale.
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