Infectious diseases

Name: Typhoid fever or Athens Plague

Year: 430-426 BC

Dead: About a third of the population from the Athens era

The plague of Athens struck the Greek city three times, in 430, 429 and subsequently in the winter between 427 and 426 BC. We do not have precise estimates of contagions and deaths, except for what the historian Thucydides reports to us, who fell ill but survived, giving us a first-hand description of the epidemic. Among the victims of the fever were also Pericles, the important general and politician who led Athens in the Peloponnese War.

The epidemic, which according to Thucydides came from Ethiopia and had spread to the Greek world via Libya and Egypt, hit the Greek city precisely because of the war: the Athenians, who aimed much more on their naval power than on the forces of earth, even the inhabitants of the countryside had withdrawn within the city walls, creating conditions of overcrowding and poor hygiene ideal for the spread of the disease. Although the disease killed about a quarter of their armed forces, it did not lead to the fall of the city into the hands of the Spartans. The latter in fact, out of fear of contagion, decided to withdraw the troops, instead of taking advantage of the weakness of their enemies. The epidemic provoked a collapse of the social and religious customs of the Athenians, as well as a profound discouragement towards the fate of the war: according to an oracle, in fact, Apollo (who also in the Iliad hurled diseases against his enemies) fought on the side of the Spartans.

The true nature of the disease, which over the years had been considered as bubonic plague, typhoid, smallpox, measles, anthrax ebola or hemorrhagic fever, was determined only in 2005 thanks to the analysis of some archaeological remains of the Ceramica cemetery. Analysis of the DNA fragments found in the victims’ dental pulp revealed that the cause was Salmonella enteric bacteria, which causes typhoid fever. The symptoms (partly contrasting with the description of Thucydides, partly perfectly aligned) are very high fever, chills, low pulse, muscle pain, fatigue, headache, diarrhea or constipation and abdominal pain. The Greek doctors, who had never faced such a disease, found themselves impotent, often being infected by contact with the sick.

Source: web