Signs and symptoms vary depending on the type of plague. Rochester, Minn.: Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research; 2018. The play Oedipus was probably produced about 429 BC, and the plague of Athens occurred in 430-426 BC. J.F.D. Symptoms generally associated with typhoid resemble Thucydides' description. Thucydides’ description of the plague that struck Athens in 430 BC is one of the great passages of Greek literature. 2006. At the time the plague struck, Athens was the strongest city-state in Greece, but was engaged in the early stages of a major military conflict, the Peloponnesian War (431–404 B.C.E.). The scholar Shrewsbury has proposed measles as the plague of Athens as he thinks that the early symptoms of the plague; sneezing, headache, hoarseness, fever and restlessness are very similar to measles. They concluded that disease that killed the Greeks and their military and political leader, Pericles, was typhus: "Epidemic typhus fever is the best explanation," said Dr. David Durack, consulting professor of medicine at Duke University. These include typhus, smallpox, measles, and toxic shock syndrome. GR: h nosos), meaning “the illness/disease.” “As soon as summer returned [430 BC], the Peloponnesian army…invaded Attica… They had not been there many days when the plague broke out at Athens for the first time. About 270 years after the Iliad, or thereabouts, plague is the centerpiece of two great classical Athenian works – Sophocles’ Oedipus the King , and Book 2 of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War. The organism that causes plague, Yersinia pestis, lives in small rodents found most commonly in rural and semirural areas of Africa, Asia and the United States. Athens was pursuing a course established 50 years earlier by Themistocles, the hero of Salamis and … Nomos and the Plague of Athens With apologies to Giovanni Boccaccio and Albert Camus, there is no more succinct or forceful description of plague than Thucydides's account in The Peloponnesian War (431–404 BC). Modern historians disagree on whether the plague was a critical factor in the loss of the Peloponnesian War. After the death of Pericles, Athens was led by a succession of incompetent or weak leaders. In 430 BC, a plague struck the city of Athens, which was then under siege by Sparta during the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC). Bouts of illness were common occurrences, but we do have accounts of some exceptional outbreaks: epidemics that brought powerful empires and city-states to their knees. Likewise people started spending money indiscriminately. (Peter van Halen / CC BY 4.0 ) The Plague of Athens Narratives . These conditions would have encouraged more than one epidemic disease during the outbreak. The only evidence about the Plague is confined to the narrations of Thucydides, who himself contracted the disease but survived. One of the most infamous occurred in 430 BC: the Plague of Athens. The Plague of Athens was a devastating epidemic that ravaged the city-state of Athens in ancient Greece in 430 B.C.E., during the second year of the Peloponnesian War (431-404 B.C.E. All rights reserved. and in the winter of 427-426 B.C.E. observes that the plague hit the refugees from the countryside especially hard because they were crowded together in unsanitary conditions (Thuc. The plague devastated Athens for many years—Thucydides reckoned it took fifteen years to recover—but his account suggests that the damage to democracy … In the case of Athens, Thucydides writes “the plague” (Anc. A. © 1998-2021 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). The Plague of Athens 431/30 BCE. About 270 years after the Iliad, or thereabouts, plague is the centrepiece of two great classical Athenian works – Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, and Book 2 of Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War. Gomme, A.W., A. Andrewes, and K.J. Shrewsbury, in “Plague of Athens,” identified the disease as being unique to Athens and provides a list of opinions from 1940s CE attempting to recognize the disease. But the most serious consequence of all is that the Plague played a major role in Athens' defeat in The Peloponnesian War, and subsequently the end of Athens as the great golden city of Ancient Greece, the birthplace of democracy. Now three medical researchers and a classics professor are suggesting that the Plague of Athens (circa 430-425 B.C.) When comparing modern outbreaks with the Plague of Athens, the plague generally seems to have more in common with measles than any other disease. Bubonic plague is the most common variety of the disease. The scholar Shrewsbury has proposed measles as the plague of Athens as he thinks that the early symptoms of the plague; sneezing, headache, hoarseness, fever and restlessness are very similar to measles. Plague. The risk of developing plague is very low. Plague is a serious bacterial infection that's transmitted primarily by fleas. The Plague of Athens, Michiel Sweerts, c. 1652–1654 / Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Wikimedia Commons The Athenian plague and the rise of the cult of Asclepius can be examined as a case study in collective behavior and social movements. Veterinarians and their assistants have a higher risk of coming into contact with domestic cats and dogs that may have become infected with plague. Plague in an Ancient City, Michiel Sweerts, c. 1652–1654. Dr. 5 The Plague of Athens was a horror, worse than but not entirely unlike Covid‐19. No effective vaccine is available, but scientists are working to develop one. Thucydides also describes numerous measles symptoms, including blindness, diarrhea, gangrene, sneezing, fever and thirst. The Plague of Athens (Ancient Greek: Λοιμὸς τῶν Ἀθηνῶν, Loimos tôn Athênôn) was an epidemic that devastated the city-state of Athens in ancient Greece during the second year (430 BC) of the Peloponnesian War when an Athenian victory still seemed within reach. Dead were over 30,000 citizens, sailors, and soldiers. Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic. Merck Manual Professional Version. The Great Plague of Athens wrote the first chapter in the end of Athenian democracy, but we do not need to accept its fate. Athens was pursuing a course established 50 years earlier by Themistocles, the hero of Salamis and … People were simply left to die in buildings or on the streets, and the dead were heaped on top of each other, left to rot or shoved into mass graves. Yes, you, America. Plague has also been transmitted to humans in parts of Asia and South America. Accessed Jan. 6, 2019. Thucydides himself suffered the illness, and survived. Especially poignant are descriptions of how people were not cared for due to the overwhelming numbers of sick and dying. This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here. However, this doesn’t mean that it wasn’t as dangerous as plagues later on in history. Athens also possessed a formidable land force, but the bulk of its military assets and the key to its strategy in the Peloponnesian War were centered on the navy. Shrewsbury, in “Plague of Athens,” identified the disease as being unique to Athens and provides a list of opinions from 1940s CE attempting to recognize the disease. In the next 3 years, most of the population was infected, and perhaps as many as 75,000 to 100,000 people, 25% of the city's population, died. Sparta and her allies, with the exception of Corinth, were almost exclusively land based powers, able to summon large land armies, which were very nea… Plague outbreaks are most common in rural and semirural areas that are overcrowded, have poor sanitation and have a high rodent population. Plague and other Yersinia infections. The plague of Athens death toll. If this conception of the plague of Athens is correct, it follows that we are dealing with the first impact of a communicable disease upon a ' virgin ' society. The plague bacteria, Yersinia pestis, is transmitted to humans through the bites of fleas that have previously fed on infected animals, such as: The bacteria can also enter your body if a break in your skin comes into contact with an infected animal's blood. Sparta and her allies, with the exception of Corinth, were almost exclusively land based powers, able to summon large land armies, which were very nearly unbeatable. The body meanwhile did not waste away so long as the distemper was at its height, but held out to a marvel against its ravages; so that when they succumbed, as in most cases, on the seventh or eighth day to the internal inflammation, they had still some strength in them. Worldwide, plague is most common in rural and semirural parts of Africa (especially the African island of Madagascar), South America and Asia. Pneumonic plague, which affects the lungs, is spread by inhaling infectious droplets coughed into the air by a sick animal or person. described its symptoms in order that " any one who knows them before-hand may recognise the disorder should it ever reappear." The epidemic also weakened Athens’ military strength at a time when the city needed it the most. These [factors] point to a mass burial in a state of panic, quite possibly due to a plague (Axarlis 1998). The Athenian general and histo … They hoped to keep the Spartans at bay while the superior Athenian navy harassed Spartan troop transports and cut off supply lines. Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below. At time of writing some nations have mobilised an aggressive response to the contagion (China), some an almost completely passive one (Britain), and some a bizarrely racist one. Once the navy was exposed to this epidemic, it was only a matter of time before Athens would become infected; it is thought that an estimated 25% of the population died as a result. Thucydides (c.460-400BC) and Sophocles (490-406BC) would have known one another in Athens, although it is hard to say much more than that for a lack of evidence. In the United States, plague is rare, but it has been known to occur in several western and southwestern states — primarily New Mexico, Arizona, California and Colorado. Thucydides' account clearly details the complete disappearance of social mores during the time of the plague. Another leading theory is that the plague was caused by Typhus. Another leading theory is that the plague was caused by Typhus. Sexton DJ, et al. At the time the plague struck, Athens was the strongest city-state in Greece, but was engaged in the early stages of a major military conflict, the Peloponnesian War (431–404 B.C.E.). Thucydides, always careful, doesn’t offer an opinion about what caused the outbreak. Mayo Clinic is a not-for-profit organization. This content does not have an English version. Once the navy was exposed to this epidemic, it was only a matter of time before Athens would become infected; it is thought that an estimated 25% of the population died as a result. The Black Death, also known as The Plague, was a pandemic affecting most of Europe and large swaths of Asia from 1346 through 1353 that wiped out between 100 and 200 million people in just a few short years. Pneumonic plague needs to be treated with antibiotics within a day after signs and symptoms first appear, or the infection is likely to be fatal. You feel very sick and weak and may have a fever, chills, and headaches. The plague of Athens death toll is estimated to have reached 75,000 to 100,000. It is also recorded that people refused to behave honorably because most did not expect to live long enough to enjoy a good reputation for it. The histories of plague, cholera, smallpox, and measles, The first real evidence supporting the writings of Thucydides, about the plague of Athens, did not come to light until 1994, when a mass grave, together with hundreds of tombs, dated at around 430-426 BC were discovered a little way outside Athens’ ancient Kerameikos cemetery. Worldwide, only a few thousand people develop plague each year. When it fixed in the stomach, it upset it; and discharges of bile of every kind named by physicians ensued, accompanied by very great distress. Earlier this week I was fortunate enough to interview … 2.52). However, it is generally agreed that the loss of this war may have paved the way for the success of the Macedonians and, ultimately, the Romans. Thucydides was skeptical of these conclusions and believed that people were simply being superstitious. The plague first appeared in sub-Saharan Africa, an area south of the country Ethiopia. The organism is transmitted to humans who are bitten by fleas that have fed on infected rodents or by humans handling infected animals.Known as the Black Death during medieval times, today plague occurs in fewer than 5,000 people a year worldwide.
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