Learning About Ancient Pandemics As We Experience Our Own
Throughout history, there have been numerous pandemics that have affected the development of civilizations, people, and the world as we know it. The word “pandemic” is derived from the Greek “pan” (all) and “demos” (people).
Below are a few examples of pandemics that greatly affected ancient civilizations:
The Antonine Plague: an outbreak of a smallpox-like disease in Rome, around the year 165 BC. It wiped out ¼ of those who contracted the disease, about 5 million people in total (1). The disease was thought to have spread from Asia Minor. When the troops returned from battle, they brought the disease with them. An interesting fact about the Antonine Plague is that two Roman emperors were killed by it. The disease dramatically weakened the Romans, specifically militarily because it killed a lot of the army.
The Plague of Athens: in Athens around the year 430 BC, a violent pandemic occurred. A plague of Typhoid Fever spread rapidly throughout Africa, and Athenian interaction with Egypt is believed to be the cause of its presence in Athens. It demolished the population and killed upwards of ⅓ of the people (2). It was a major factor in the Spartans’ defeat of the Athenians in the Peloponnesian Wars. This disease greatly affected history because the world may have turned out very differently if Athens had won the war.
The Plague of Justinian: one of the most deadly pandemics in history began around AD 541. The disease was the same disease as the one attributed to the infamous Black Death in the Middle Ages. Justinian was the emperor of Rome during the time it began, hence its name. It killed roughly 100 million people throughout Europe (3). Today, we can easily cure this disease with antibiotics, because it is a bacterial infection.
Methods of Treatment in Ancient Times: Egypt first introduced the practice of bloodletting, which became a common practice in Greek and Roman society and continued around the world up until the 1800s. Bloodletting is the practice of cutting a vein and quite literally letting the blood drain. It was believed that if people weren’t feeling well, their blood concentration was too high, disrupting the balance in their body. Another method of treatment was the use of mercury in medicine. Although it is a toxic element, the ancient Greeks and Persians thought that it was not only a way to cure sickness, but a way for the patients to gain eternal life.
In the scale of human life, we have only very recently discovered the existence of germs, and therefore learned to contain these diseases as best we can. A common misconception is that our advanced society, with the scientific and medical knowledge that we now have, will be able to contain and/or quickly eliminate any plague-like disease. Although we do have modern commodities and antibiotics, viruses, such as the Coronavirus, can still sometimes spread at a rapid pace. And every now and then, plagues do occur.
We are lucky today that we do have the ability to communicate and organize on a global level, a privilege ancient Rome and Greece were without. We have the tools today to overcome such diseases, and we must use them to our advantage.