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Plague of Justinian
From 541–542 CE, a major plague pandemic spread from Egypt through Constantinople across the Eastern Roman Empire and beyond, causing severe depopula…
Timeline
- 541Egypt · EgyptThe epidemic reportedly first broke out in Egypt, then spread northward along imperial trade and shipping networks, reaching the imperial core via Mediterranean merchant ships.
- 542Constantinople · AnatoliaIn 542 the plague peaked in Constantinople; Procopius recorded tens of thousands of daily deaths, Justinian himself fell ill, and imperial administration, taxation, and military mobilization were severely disrupted.
- 541–544Mediterranean world · MediterraneanThe plague spread to Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, Italy, and the Persian frontier, causing agricultural decline, urban shrinkage, and trade paralysis; later scholars regard it as the first plague pandemic, affecting civilizations across Eurasia and Africa.
Sources
- Procopius, History of the Wars, Book II, Chapter 22–23 (Secret History, Chapter 18) — Procopius of Caesarea https://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/Procopius/home.html
- The Justinianic Plague: The Economic and Social Impact — Peter Sarris
- Plague and the End of Antiquity: The Pandemic of 541–750 — Lester K. Little (ed.) (2007)