Codes: A=Astronomical event G=Geological M=Meteorological
Type | Year | Month | Day | Location | Phenomenon | Description |
A | 302 | May | China | Comet | Seen in the daytime | |
M | 312 | Rome | Halo cross? | Constantine sees cross of light above Sun | ||
M | 324 | England | Coloured rain | Rain of blood for 6 hours in Somerset | ||
G | 325 | Campania, Italy | Earthquake | 12 towns destroyed round Naples | ||
M | 329 | Britain | Severe winter | Most rivers froze 6 weeks. Deep snow in Wales | ||
A | 334 | Antioch, Syria | Meteor? | 'Star' poured out 'smoke' for 3 hours during day | ||
G | 340 | Asia Minor | Earthquake | 'All through the East'. 2 years of shocks | ||
M | 341 | Britain | Snow | Snow 15 feet deep lay 6 weeks | ||
G | 344 | Mediterranean | Earthquake | Shocks in Rhodes, Dyrrachium, Campania & Rome | ||
M | 344 | Britain | Hailstones | 'Much bigger than hens' eggs' | ||
M | 346 | Germany | Rain | 20 days incessant rain | ||
M | 349 | England | Gale | 420 houss fell , Carlisle. Many k. | ||
M | 351 | May | 7 | Jerusalem | Halo complex? | A cross in the sky |
M | 352 | Scotland? | Aurora? | 'Fiery swords' at night became a huge flame | ||
A | 352 | China | Sunspot | '3-legged crow' on Sun. Seen 5 days | ||
M | 353 | Cheshire, England | Flood | Drowned 5,000 persons & many cattle | ||
G | 358 | August | 24 | Asia Minor | Earthquake | Preceded by 2 hours of darkness |
M | 359 | Scotland | Cold | Severe frost for 14 weeks | ||
G | 365 | July | 22 | Mediterranean | Earthquake | Roman world shaken by great earthquake |
A | 374 | February | 13 | China | Halley's Comet | Perihelion passage |
A | 390 | August | 22 | China | Comet | White comet. Tail 100 cubits |
M | 393 | Anomalous phen. | 'Bright globes' at night merged into a 'sword' | |||
G | 394 | September | Europe | Earthquakes | Throughout Europe to November | |
M | 395 | September | 5 | Asia Minor? | Day darkness | 'Night rather than day'. Not an eclipse |
G | 395 | September | Europe | Earthquakes | Throughout Europe to January 396 | |
G | 396 | Constantinople | Earthquake | Violent shocks for several days, sky seemed on fire | ||
M | 400 (c.) | Europe | Aurora | 'Columns in the sky' for 3 days | ||
A | 400 | China | Comet | Over 30 cubits long | ||
M | 401 | Asia Minor | Cold | Black Sea froze over, sea ice nr. Constantinople | ||
M | 410 | August (c.) | Rome | Day darkness | Gloom so that stars appeared in daytime | |
A | 415 | June | 24 | China | Comets | Two comets near Serpens |
G | 416 | Java | Volcano | Volcano Kapi exploded & created Sunda Straits | ||
A | 418 | July | 19 | Comet | Seen near Sun in eclipse:tail became 100 cubits long | |
G | 424 | Cornwall. England | Earthquake | 'Great losses, many killed'. Must be doubtful | ||
G | 427 | Constantinople | Earthquake | 57 towers thrown down. Year may be 447 | ||
M | 436 | Ireland | Snow | A huge snow | ||
G | 446 | Mediterranean? | Earthquake | 'Earthquake lasting 6 months' | ||
M | 447? | Wales | Day darkness | 'Days as dark as night'. Year may be 444 | ||
M | 450 | August | 25 | Constantinople | Day darkness | Sky dark until evening. Not an eclipse |
M | 451 | April | 3 | France | Aurora | Red streamers after sunset |
A | 451 | July | 4 | China & Europe | Halley's Comet | Perihelion. |
A | 452 | Thrace | Meteorites? | Three large stones fell. 'Doubtful' | ||
M | 454 | Central Europe | Aurora | 'Burning pikes' in sky | ||
M | 454 | July | Britain | Drought | Drought July to Sept., then famine | |
M | 459 | Britain | Hail | Stones over 3 inches dia k. many people & cattle | ||
A? | 466 | Comet?? | Trumpet-shaped cloud seen 40 days | |||
M? | 467 (c.) | France | Anthelion? | Another sun after sunset | ||
M | 470 | Scotland | Rain | 10 months' rain | ||
G | 472 | November | 5 | Vesuvius, Italy | Volcano | 'Whole of Europe covered with fine dust' |
M | 474 | Britain | Cold | 4 months' frost & great snow | ||
A | 476 | I-hsi, China | Meteorites? | 'Thundering chariots' fell & scorched ground. | ||
G | 494 | Asia Minor | Earthquake | Laodicea, Hierapolis, Tripolis & Agathicus wrecked | ||
M | 497 | Britain? | Comet? | 'Star' & fireball with 3 rays | ||
M | 500 | October | 23 | Asia Minor? | Day darkness | Sun obscured to 8th hour. Not an eclipse |
M | 508 | Britain | Cold | Rivers frozen 2 months. Uncertain year | ||
G | 512 | July | 8 | Vesuvius, Italy | Volcano | Severe, with nuee ardentes |
G | 518 | Hungary | Earthquake | Boiling water came from 12-foot wide fissures. | ||
A | 518 | June | 25 | China | Ball lightning? | 'Red object' fell into furnace , exploded, burned houses |
G | 520 | Wales | Subsidence | Cantref y Gwaelod drowned | ||
M | 523 (c.) | Kent, England | Aurorae? & fall | 'Dragons fighting in the air' , rain of wheat & blood | ||
M | 526 | England? | Volcanic dust? | 'A dry fog' | ||
G | 526 | May | 20 | Antioch, Syria | Earthquake | City wrecked, 250,000 k. |
G | 528 | November | 29 | Antioch, Syria | Earthquake | Rebuilt buildings thrown down |
A | 530 | November | 15 | China & Europe | Halley's Comet | Perihelion |
G | 536 | Vesuvius, Italy | Volcano | Vesuvius 'rumbled'. No eruption | ||
M | 536 | Mesopotamia: Italy | Obscuration | Sun dimmed for 18 months, fruits did not ripen | ||
M | 536 | March | 24 | Constantinople | Obscuration | Sun & Moon darkened , till June 24, 537 |
M | 536 | December | China | Fall | Yellow dust fell 'like snow' | |
M | 537 | February | 1 | China | Fall | Rain of dust or ash |
M | 537 | July & August | Quingzou, China | Summer snow | Frost in July; snow in August | |
M? | 541 | France | Aurora? | 'Comet' so vast that sky seemed on fire | ||
M | 542 | Scotland | Obscuration | Sun like blood at noon, sky full of stars 2 days | ||
G | 543 | September | 6 | Mediterranean? | Earthquake | 'Throughout the known world' |
G | 545 | Thrace | Tsunami | Wave drowned many | ||
M | 548 | France | Cold winter | Deep snow | ||
G | 552 | Greece | Earthquake | Naupacte, Petra, Corona, etc., ruined | ||
M | 554 | Europe | Cold | Severe winter | ||
G | 555 | August | 15 | Asia Minor | Earthquake | Constantinople, Berytus & extending to Egypt |
G | 557 | December | 14 | Mediterranean | Earthquake | Constantinople, Antioch, Rome, etc |
M | 563 | France | Parhelia 3 or 4 'suns' near Sun | |||
M | 567 (c.) | Italy | Aurora | 'Battle lines of fire' (acies igneae) | ||
A | 568 | August | 3 | China | Comet | White; tail 40 cubits long, like a melon |
M | 569 | Italy | Aurora | 'Fiery ranks' in the sky from which'blood' came | ||
A | 570 | Bender, Arabia | Meteorites | Many stones fell | ||
M | 575 | September | France | Aurora | The sky burned | |
A | 577 | November | 11 | France | Lunar event? | 'A light on the Moon'. Moon was full, with halo |
A | 579 | China | Sunspot | Black colour as large as hen's egg on Sun | ||
A | 580 | Europe | Meteors? | 'Fiery meteors' traversed sky | ||
A | 580 | France | Exploding meteor | Great light moving E., explosion heard 50 miles away | ||
M | 580 | France | Tornado? | Storm swept area a mile across, men k. | ||
M | 582 | Paris, France | Coloured rain | Shower of blood | ||
M | 582 | January | 31 | Tours, France | Ball lightning? | Fireball moved through overcast sky |
A | 584 | December | France? | Meteor | Large fireball equal to daylight | |
M | 585 | France | Aurora | Rays of light for 2 nights; luminous cloud | ||
A | 585 | October | 23 | France? | Bolide | Large fireball, then detonation |
G | 585 | Unknown | Volcano? | 2 'islands in the sea' consumed by fire from heaven | ||
M | 586 | Constantinople | Hail | Men k. by stones | ||
M | 586 | North Sea | Floods | Great storm floods | ||
A | 587 | January | 1 | France | Bolide | Large fireball, then detonation |
M | 588 | France | Tornadoes? 'Snakes' dropped from clouds & village vanished | |||
M | 589 | Durham, England | Storm flood | Sea swept away villages, many drowned | ||
M | 592 | January | 10 | England | Drought | Until September |
M | 596 | England | Aurora? | Armies in the sky. 'Legendary' | ||
A | 599 | January | 30 | Arabia | Meteor shower | Stars flew against one another |