What was the plague of athens

It was believed that food shortage, lack of proper drainages, diseases and other factors were as a result of the large population of Athenians. The plague was first witnessed in South Egypt, Libya, Ethiopia, Persia, Rome until it finally landed in Athens. The disease first attacked residents of Piraeus before killing a massive number of individuals in Athens. The plague returned twice, in 429 BC and during the winter of 426/427 BC where more lives were lost during the attack. According to some scientists, “some 30 pathogens have been suggested as causing the plague”1. In overcrowded Athens, the disease killed an estimated one third to two-thirds of the population”3. Spartans withdrew their troops due to the fear of being infected by the disease after they witnessed the burning of Athenian corpses.

It was during that period that Pericles died and Athens’ leadership became succeeded by weak and incompetent leaders. Social implications of the plague Plague of Athens led to various social outcomes such a disappearance of social morals and change of social behavior. Various social implications include the following: Lack of care for the sick and the dead Individuals who had not contacted the disease feared to take care of those affected because they believed that the disease would affect them too if they come into contact with them. “Over the past years, historians have tried to identify the cause behind a plague of Athens and they have come up with various diseases such as measles, smallpox, typhus and toxic shock syndrome”7.

These outcomes are based on tests done on fossils and remains of dead Athenians. For instance, “In 2005 a correlation was made between DNA extracted from the dental pulp of three teeth recovered from the Kerameikos cemetery (excavated 1994–95) in Athens and a known pathogen: typhoid fever”8. However, the exact nature of the Athenian plague has never been established but it is believed that overcrowding and increase in insects, lice, and wastes in the city could have possibly led to the plague. Nevertheless, advancement in scientific technology might reveal new clues about the plagues. ; Yapijakis, Christos; Synodinos, Philippos N. ; Baziotopoulou-Valavani, Effie (2006). "DNA examination of ancient dental pulp incriminates typhoid fever as a probable cause of the Plague of Athens". International Journal of Infectious Diseases.