Justinian's Flea: The First Great Plague and the End of the Roman EmpireFrom the acclaimed author of Miracle Cure and The Third Horseman, the epic story of the collision between one of nature's smallest organisms and history's mightiest empire During the golden age of the Roman Empire, Emperor Justinian reigned over a territory that stretched from Italy to North Africa. It was the zenith of his achievements and the last of them. In 542 AD, the bubonic plague struck. In weeks, the glorious classical world of Justinian had been plunged into the medieval and modern Europe was born. At its height, five thousand people died every day in Constantinople. Cities were completely depopulated. It was the first pandemic the world had ever known and it left its indelible mark: when the plague finally ended, more than 25 million people were dead. Weaving together history, microbiology, ecology, jurisprudence, theology, and epidemiology, Justinian's Flea is a unique and sweeping account of the little known event that changed the course of a continent. |
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Africa Agathias Alexandria Anastasius Anthemius Antioch Antonina Arab arch Arian army arrived bacteria bacterium barbarian battle Belisarius Belisarius’s bishop bubonic plague built Byzantine called Cambridge capital cause cavalry century China Christian chronicle church city’s command conquest Constantine Constantinople Ctesiphon Danube death defeated demon despite Diocletian disease dome dozens east eastern emperor empire’s Europe Evagrius Scholasticus flea force Gaul Gelimer gold Gothic Goths Greek Hagia Sophia Hippodrome historian human hundred Huns Ibid imperial Islam Italy John Justin Justinian and Theodora Khusro king known land late antiquity Later Roman Empire less Mediterranean Mesopotamia military modern Monophysite Narses Ostrogoths palace pandemic Persian pestis piers population Procopius Ravenna reign Roman Empire Rome Rome’s rule ruler Sassanid siege silk sixth-century soldiers Spain successor thousand throne tion Totila trans Tribonian troops turned University Press Vandals Visigoths Vitigis walls Wars western York