Germs and Empire

doi:10.1017/9781108932981.002

Chapter 1 - Germs and Empire

The Agency of the Microscopic

from Part I - Empire

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 August 2021

Kyle Harper

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Harriet I. Flower

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Harriet I. Flower: Affiliation:
Princeton University, New Jersey

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Summary

This chapter explores the state of knowledge about the Antonine Plague, an empire-wide pandemic that struck from the mid-160s. It emphasizes that even against the backdrop of the unhealthy environment of the Roman empire, the Antonine Plague stood out as an extraordinary event in its geographical scope and biological impact. The stories of the Roman armies introducing the plague on their return from the Parthian campaign deserve greater scrutiny, as they are likely colored by imperial propaganda concerning Avidius Cassius and Lucius Verus, but the notion that the disease was caused by a pathogen carried into the Roman empire from without, likely along Red Sea and Indian Ocean trading routes, is plausible.

Keywords

Antonine Plague history of disease pandemics

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Type: Chapter
Information: Empire and Religion in the Roman World , pp. 13 - 34

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108932981.002 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2021

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