The Justinianic Plague
(also known as the first plague pandemic)
Episode 2 - April 2, 2020
Merle and Lee discuss the late antique Justinianic Plague (c. 541-750), also known as the first plague pandemic. They cover the current consensus about plague first, and then offer their reinterpretation, together with some ideas for further research.
Further Reading
- The Fate of Rome (the best traditional analysis)
- Rejecting Catastrophe: The Case of the Justinianic Plague (our historical analysis casting doubt on the revised perspective)
- The Justinianic Plague: An Inconsequential Pandemic (our quantitative take on the revised perspective)
- The Justinianic Plague: An Interdisciplinary Review (a survey of research on the Justinianic Plague 2000-2018)
- Ancient Yersinia pestis genomes from across Western Europe reveal early diversification during the First Pandemic (541–750). (this is the article we mentioned a few times during the episode)