How the Plague of Justinian puts current events in a healthy perspective
December 17, 2021
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| Plague in an Ancient City (Source: Wikimedia Commons) |
When we are living through a difficult period (such as an outbreak of disease), it can often seem unprecedented. This is in large part because we are so close to those events – like a man standing too close to a picture – he cannot appreciate the whole view.
But to gain a better sense of our own time and to put it into healthy perspective, we need to step back and look at current events within a broader historical view.
The Origin and Spread of the First Bubonic Plague
There have been many plagues and pandemics that have ravaged the world throughout human history. Almost everyone has heard of the Black Death or Bubonic Plague that swept through Europe in the 14th Century, killing about a third of the population. This devastating episode of plague was, however, only the most recent return of an older epidemic that had ravaged the ancient world centuries earlier.
The first recorded instance of plague (there may have been earlier outbreaks), known as Yersinia Pestis, occurred in the year 542 CE. It is referred to as the Plague of Justinian after the Byzantine Emperor of that era. It caused the death of an estimated 25-50 million people in the empire (a quarter of the population), the emperor even contracted it for a time but eventually recovered (most people did not).
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| Tian Shan Mountains in Western China and the ancient silk road (Source: Wikipedia) |
Modern scholars contend that it likely originated in western China (the Tian Shan mountains). From there it spread west along the silk trade routes to the Near East and Egypt and thence onto Constantinople, hitching a ride on the backs of black rats (Rattus rattus) carried on grain ships, where it then spread throughout the rest of empire.
The origin and spread of the plague is described by the Byzantine court historian Procopius (500-565 CE), who was in Pelusium, Egypt at the time. He recorded:
“It started from the Aegyptians who dwell in Pelusium. Then it divided and moved in one direction towards Alexandria and the rest of Aegypt, and in the other direction it came to Palestine on the borders of Aegypt; and from there it spread over the whole world, always moving forward and travelling at times favourable to it.” (Procopius, The History of Wars Bk I and II)
The Plague’s Impact and Possible Causes
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| An artists impression of the ancient city of Constantinople (Source: Vividmaps) |
Upon its arrival in Constantinople, the plague took a terrible tole on the city and its inhabitants. So many people succumbed to the disease that the authorities had difficulty finding places to bury them. At first bodies were placed in tombs as was custom, but due to the sheer numbers, trenches and pits were dug and bodies thrown into the tops of buildings and even dumped at sea to dispose of them.
At its peak, Procopius believes it killed between 5 to 10 thousand people a day, although the accuracy of this figure is hard to determine.
The disease did not spare anyone and affected all social classes of society, from slaves to even the most noteworthy.
“for slaves remained destitute of masters, and men who in former times were very prosperous were deprived of the service of their domestics who were either sick or dead, and many houses became completely destitute of human inhabitants.” (Procopius, The History of Wars Bk I and II)
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| St Sebastian pleads for a gravedigger during the plague of Justinian in Constantinople. (Source: Wikimedia) |
During the time, the cause of the disease was not properly understood and was put down to supernatural causes. Procopius mentions that many people reported seeing supernatural apparitions in human form, and those who were struck by them were subsequently seized by the disease. John of Ephesus attributed the disease to the wrath of God for a sinful world.
The symptoms described by both men however, seem to indicate that bubonic plague was the disease responsible. Of course the people of the time were not aware that the disease was spread by the fleas on rats which then infected a human being. This was only discovered in 1894 CE.
A Volcanic Winter is Coming
In the years prior to the plague outbreak, powerful climactic changes created fertile ground for disease. In the year 536 CE (known as the Volcanic Winter), a mysterious cloud was reported by Procopius that covered the mediterranean sky and blocked out the rays of the sun for over a year.
This was caused by a Volcanic Eruption that injected large amounts of sulphur and ash into the atmosphere causing summer temperatures to decline by between 2.9 and 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit (below the 30 year average). This led to crop failures and widespread famine throughout Europe and a decades long cold snap.
This was followed by another Volcanic eruption in the year 539 CE, which had a similar effect causing cooler temperatures and consequent famines and disease. These cooler climactic conditions would last two to three decades and severely impact the two most powerful empires of the time and the course of history.
How the Plague Affected the Byzantine and Persian Empires
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The plague caused immense upheavals in the Byzantine and Persian empires where it continued to spread, with recurring bouts until 750 CE. Due to the death toll, both empires lost a considerable amount of manpower with many of the regions becoming sparsely populated due to the plague. This was at a time when both empires were engaged in a protracted conflict with one another.
The economic costs were immense and Justinian I was forced to levy inordinate taxes to pay for the wars and his many building projects such as Hagia Sophia which he believed would please God. The plague also prevented Justinian from continuing and completing his reconquest of Italy and the West, with the Lombards invading and taking control of northern Italy.
The Persians had been worn out by the long wars with the Byzantines and the death toll from the plague left it weakened and short on manpower, vulnerable to Arab incursions. This many stresses upon both empires cannot be discounted as significant reasons for the success of the Arab invasions of the Eastern Mediterranean and Mesopotamia in the 7th century.
A Broader Perspective
To step back closer into our own time, we can now appreciate that whilst the current disease outbreak poses its own unique challenges, it nevertheless pales in comparison to the Plague of Justinian.
We can breathe a sigh of relief that we aren’t currently living through those calamitous times. The ravages wrought by the plague killed an estimated quarter of the population (25-50 million) and almost destroyed the Byzantine Empire and likely contributed to the demise of the Persian. The loss of life was on such an immense scale it would be hard for us to fathom in the modern 21st Century. For this it was enough for Procopius to remark:
“During these times there was a pestilence by which the whole human race came near to being annihilated.” (Procopius, History of the Wars, Bk II, 22)
Thankfully, this did not come to pass, but it very well must have seemed like the end of their world (which it was for many).
Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/science/plague/History#ref1217512
https://www.dailyhistory.org/How_Did_the_Plague_of_Justinian_Change_History%3F
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/16764/16764-h/16764-h.htm#BOOK_II
https://historyofyesterday.com/why-is-536ad-considered-the-worst-year-in-history-78894497bc52
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/782/justinians-plague-541-542-ce/
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1536/procopius-on-the-plague-of-justinian-text–comment/