- 22,340
- 7,137
I was listening to a program of the decline and fall of the Byzantium empire, in conjunction with the decline and fall of the Roman Empire, and part of the program covered the Antonine Plague, which just happened to coincide with the conflict between the Roman Empire and Parthian Empire. Ancient sources agree that the plague is likely to have appeared during the Roman siege of the Mesopotamian city of Seleucia in the winter of 165–166, during the Parthian campaign of Lucius Verus. Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonine_Plague
Numbers of deaths vary. Historian Paul Cooper mentions about 2% of the population of the Roman Empire, but higher rates in the Roman military and key trade cities, where 10 to 15% of persons may have perished.
From the Wikipedia article - "Ammianus Marcellinus reported that the plague spread to Gaul and to the legions along the Rhine. Eutropius stated that a large proportion of the empire's population died from this outbreak," and "contemporary Roman historian Cassius Dio, the disease broke out again nine years later in 189 AD and caused up to 2,000 deaths a day in the city of Rome, 25% of those who were affected." The article mentions an estimated total death count of "5–10 million, roughly 10% of the population of the empire." If this applys to the second outbreak, that would be worse then the first.
The disease or combination of diseases is unknown, but based on descriptions in the writings of Galen, there is speculation about small pox and measles. However, I was wondering about a hemorrhagic virus or bacterium.
Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are caused by viruses, such as Ebola, Marburg, Lassa fever, and Rift Valley fever, while Bacterial hemorrhagic fevers are less common and include leptospirosis and plague (probaby refers to pneumonic plague as opposed to bubonic plague, but either one caused by Yersinia pestis). Some symptoms apparently a cough that became bloody with expulsion of lung tissue, which would seem to indicate a pneumonic plague, but apparently measles could cause this as wel, or perhaps it requires a co-infection of smallpox and measles.
For VHF - https://www.cdc.gov/viral-hemorrhagic-fevers/about/index.html
As we saw with the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic, i wonder if history will repeat with a more severe plague. Is the world ready for it?
During the reign of Justinian (527–565 CE), Europe was faced with another plague, 541–549. Known as the Plague of Justinian, it was apparently caused by a variant of Yersinia pestis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_of_Justinian
https://www.passporthealthusa.com/2020/08/what-was-the-justinian-plague/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justinian_I
Numbers of deaths vary. Historian Paul Cooper mentions about 2% of the population of the Roman Empire, but higher rates in the Roman military and key trade cities, where 10 to 15% of persons may have perished.
From the Wikipedia article - "Ammianus Marcellinus reported that the plague spread to Gaul and to the legions along the Rhine. Eutropius stated that a large proportion of the empire's population died from this outbreak," and "contemporary Roman historian Cassius Dio, the disease broke out again nine years later in 189 AD and caused up to 2,000 deaths a day in the city of Rome, 25% of those who were affected." The article mentions an estimated total death count of "5–10 million, roughly 10% of the population of the empire." If this applys to the second outbreak, that would be worse then the first.
The disease or combination of diseases is unknown, but based on descriptions in the writings of Galen, there is speculation about small pox and measles. However, I was wondering about a hemorrhagic virus or bacterium.
Viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs) are caused by viruses, such as Ebola, Marburg, Lassa fever, and Rift Valley fever, while Bacterial hemorrhagic fevers are less common and include leptospirosis and plague (probaby refers to pneumonic plague as opposed to bubonic plague, but either one caused by Yersinia pestis). Some symptoms apparently a cough that became bloody with expulsion of lung tissue, which would seem to indicate a pneumonic plague, but apparently measles could cause this as wel, or perhaps it requires a co-infection of smallpox and measles.
For VHF - https://www.cdc.gov/viral-hemorrhagic-fevers/about/index.html
As we saw with the SARS-Cov-2 pandemic, i wonder if history will repeat with a more severe plague. Is the world ready for it?
During the reign of Justinian (527–565 CE), Europe was faced with another plague, 541–549. Known as the Plague of Justinian, it was apparently caused by a variant of Yersinia pestis.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plague_of_Justinian
https://www.passporthealthusa.com/2020/08/what-was-the-justinian-plague/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justinian_I
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