Plague in the Graeco-Roman world, 430 B.C.-A.D. 600
Master Thesis
1988
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University of Cape Town
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Abstract
This dissertation concerns itself with the study of epidemics between 430 B.C. - A.D. 600, in an attempt to find positive evidence for the existence of bubonic plague in the ancient world. Most major studies on the Black Death have concerned themselves with the great pandemics of the Middle Ages and none (to my knowledge), have systematically examined the ancient records for earlier evidence of the disease. The time period chosen for this study, from the Athenian Plague to the Plague of Justinian, contains some relatively well documented epidemics, which has made it possible, in some cases, to identify the disease. Plague is a complicated disease, dependent on numerous factors for its successful spread, but few historians have considered this. The word 'plague' was loosely used in ancient texts to denote any epidemic disease with a high mortality rate and not a specific microbial infection. Most historians however translate 'plague' as bubonic plague and make no attempt at a medical analysis of the symptoms given by a particular author. The point of this dissertation is to examine the ancient epidemics from a medical as well as a historical angle. Our evidence for the existence of epidemic diseases comes from a variety of sources, and these are examined. Sculptures and frescoes show numerous chronic and acute disorders. Human remains have shown evidence of certain diseases, while animal and parasitic remains have helped to confirm the existence of certain species instrumental in the spread of a specific disease. However, written texts are the most reliable source for obtaining a detailed account of the symptoms and accurate interpretation of these texts is therefore important. To achieve this, the symptoms mentioned by an ancient author are compared and contrasted, through the use of tables, with the symptoms of some of the known infectious diseases of today. This dissertation will show that epidemics which were previously labelled plague could either not be identified as such, or were misdiagnosed. Evidence does point to the existence of bubonic plague in the ancient world, but it never reached epidemic proportions until A.D. 600.
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Bibliography: pages 115-125.
Reference:
Truter, E. 1988. Plague in the Graeco-Roman world, 430 B.C.-A.D. 600. University of Cape Town.