Pandemics in Prehistory
A Brief Overlook
The Plague Timeline
Pandemics are the resulting outcomes of
unpredictable diseases that spread out under no known timings (to humankind)
while inflicting possible mortal consequences to vast numbers of the human
populations. Pandemics are usually the outcomes of: Post-war eras, Post-global
depressions periods and these can even emerge under no known circumstances in
specific spots on our planet – where health haphazard are at their critical
extremes, and where other factors; such as malnutrition, famine, or natural
calamities (for e.g.: droughts, hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons, floods,
tornadoes, tsunamis and/or other natural catastrophes) have already done their
required damages to human lives.
Pandemics, when at their peaking
moments, increasingly spread across few countries or continents ‘or’ they can
even turn out to be global “killers” while having significant impacts on our
earthly planet’s main inhabitants—human beings or Homo Sapiens. Pandemics
are the mass extended versions of epidemics. On one hand, epidemics create
limited damaging effects to our human race’s survival’s journey, while pandemics
inflict extensive mortal health harms to humans (or at times, even animals
which form part of the human food chain, may face such harmful effects).
Pandemics have existed ever since our
human evolution has seen its dawns. During the hunter-gatherers periods (about
10,000 years ago), pandemics were already creating sets of harmful mortal
consequences to our human existences. Influenza, Leprosy, Tuberculosis,
Malaria, smallpox were the known diseases that have surfaced over the course of
the past several centuries.
With time, as our human race has evolved
and that this human civilization of our planet’s eventually became known as the
so-called ‘civilized’ race of God’s worthy creations—pandemics and epidemics,
surfacing over the course of several lapses of our human history, have manifested
in ways that have only been portrayed as the nastiest to humanity. Thus, this human race has remained stunned with helplessness when trying to face the
devastating effects of such apocalyptic events in its history.
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Elaboration on the Early Present Age
Pandemics – From 430 B.C, Athens (Greece) to 11th Century
Leprosy (Across Europe)
In 430 B.C (430 years Before Christ) in Athens (Greece)
The Athenian Plague
In the aftermath of the Polynesian War,
typhoid fever’s threats that originated from nowadays’ countries of Egypt, Libya, and
Ethiopia, marched through to Greece while ravaging Athens’ populations with an
intense deadly hit. The Spartans who were at war with Greece during those
times, held a victorious war outcome over their Athenian enemies as a consequential
result of the typhoid fever pandemic which eradicated most of Athens’
populations. The Greek populations had seen an over-sizing mortality rates,
after this feverish outspread made its way into the midst of their capital city.
A total of 250,000 to 300,000 people perished by the time the Athenian Plague
ended 3 years after its original onset (in 427 B.C).
The Athenian Plague
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In 165 A.D (165 Anno Domino – 165 years after the
date of the birth of Christ)
The Antonine Plague
The Antonine Plague
The Antonine Plague was the
consequential result of a widespread of smallpox originating from nomadic
warriors known as Huns. The Huns were the ones who terrorized Europe by leading
persistent wars against the Roman Empire.
The ‘smallpox’ that struck the European
continent, infected the Germans in the first place. Thereafter, it impacted
other countries all over Europe. The Roman Empire suffered as the direct result
of this Pandemic: the Antonine Plague was the sole responsible cause of one of
its main victims—Emperor Marcus Aurelius passed away in the year 180 A.D from
this destructive ‘smallpox killer’.
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In 250 A.D (250 Anno Domino – 250 years after the
birth-date of Jesus Christ)
The Cyprian Plague
The Cyprian Plague
Holding its name from Saint Cyprian (St.
Cyprian, the Christian Bishop of Carthage), the Cyprian Plague found its birth
in Northern Africa. Saint Cyprian was a pious and saintly Christian theologian
who made a remarkable impact to the lives of Christians residing in North
Africa during the prosecution of Rome. The Cyprian plague made its first
outbreak in Ethiopia. Then, it led itself towards Italy (Rome), while
afterwards proceeding northerly and spreading across some other countries in
Europe.
With the Cyprian Plague in play, the
Roman Empire was once again hit by a vital blow while having to deal with another
pandemic which surfaced right after the painful era of the recent Antonine
Plague. Originating from Ethiopia, in 250 Common Era – 250 Anno Domino, this Cyprian
plague lasted for 20 long years while consistently eliminating 5000 people on a
daily basis between 249 A.D onto 270 A.D. The Cyprian Plague made itself known
by notable key symptoms, such as: throat ulcers, feverish episodes, diarrhea,
vomiting and gangrenous feet and hands.
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In 541 A.D (541 Anno Domino – 541 years, after the
birth of Jesus Christ)
The Justinian Plague
The Geographical outline mapping the Justinian Plague's outspread
Named after the Roman Emperor,
Justinian—the Justinian Plague originated from Egypt in 541 A.D. It then spread
throughout Palestine, over to the Byzantine Empire, and throughout the
Mediterranean coasts’ coastal countries. The Justinian Plague was the true
cause behind the massive economic failure of Emperor Justinian’s plan of bringing The Roman Empire to a steady lead in Europe (both, in the
widespread of Christianity alongside keeping its strong, balanced and solid economic empirical shape).
The Justinian Plague
The Justinian Plague
The Byzantine Empire which was known as the
leading spot, land and place where the Roman Empire was gradually flourishing,
was first ruled by Emperor Constantine I. This Roman Empire’s newly designated
location’s capital city was named after this very same emperor, while bearing
the name: Constantinople. The huge hit of the Justinian Plague, which lasted
between 541 A.D and 750 A.D, maximized the Byzantine Empire’s deaths to a total
of approximately 50,000,000 (falling in between the 25 millions and 100 millions
digits). This plague did more of its devastating harms to the City of
Constantinople. The Justinian Plague
which consisted of symptoms of enlarged lymphatic glands, was carried by rats
and thereafter spread by fleas. After its initial appearance in 541 A.D, the
Justinian Plague transitioned into the Bubonic Plague. The wave of this
pandemic was effective for over the next two centuries, killing more than 25%
of the world’s populations of the time.
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11th Century Europe
11th Century Leprosy
(Leprosy, also known as Hansen Disease)
Leprosy is recorded in human history for
having been one terribly mortal disease that gradually inflicts sufferable consequences onto and into the human body. Leprosy’s principal symptoms
consist of deteriorating conditions of the skin. Consequently, this condition
infiltrates the inner rim of the body with growing intensity. Thereafter, the
skin condition deteriorates, blood vessels and muscle tissues are deeply
impacted, bones and skeletal structures are hit, the cerebral part and the
nervous system are eventually weakened, and finally, the body decays or rots
while admitting a deadly end to the one dealing with this disease.
Leprosy or also known as Hansen Disease
is and has always been a highly contagious disease. It is believed to have had
strong but direct ties to the state of uncleanliness and imperfections of the
human body and mind which eventually translates into this horrific disease.
A Pandemic, with (*1)enormous death counts in 11th Century
Europe’s Leprosy’s outspread, the Middle Ages found (*2)mortality rates at its peaking highs
right in the transitioning period underlying the fall of the Roman Empire and
the Renaissance.
ASTERIXES
IN THE LAST PARAGRAPH
(*1) and (*2)): Total Deaths Statistics of 11th
Century Leprosy's resulting outcome is somewhat vague. This is the main reason for no fixed
or no set number of deaths accounted for on this particular Pandemic outbreak's portion.
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Bibliography
1. History.com Editors, (January 30th,
2020), Pandemics that changed human history: As human civilization rose,
these diseases struck them down; Retrieved from Worldwide website on the 17th
of June, 2020 from URL:
https://www.history.com/topics/middle-ages/pandemics-timeline
- Intriguing
History, (April 24th, 2017), Medieval
Leprosy: In Medieval times leprosy was a disease to be feared and
sufferers removed to a place of isolation; Retrieved from Worldwide
website on the 17th of June, 2020 from URL:
https://www.intriguing-history.com/medieval-leprosy/
