What was the great Athenian plague?

The Plague of Athens (Ancient Greek: Λοιμὸς τῶν Ἀθηνῶν, Loimos tôn Athênôn) was an epidemic that devastated the city-state of Athens in ancient Greece during the second year (430 BC) of the Peloponnesian War when an Athenian victory still seemed within reach.

What caused the Great plague of Athens?

The plague of Athens raged for 4 years and resulted in the defeat of Athens. The cause of the plague of Athens continues to be debated. Infectious diseases most often cited as causes of the plague include influenza, epidemic typhus, typhoid fever, bubonic plague, smallpox, and measles.

Which Roman poet have an account of the plague of Athens?

Lucretius, born nearly 350 years after the outbreak, relates the story of the plague of Athens to support his argument against divine creation and to show that the world is in a constant state of decline and decay.

Who did the Athenians blame for the plague?

For nearly 2500 years, historians & scholars have attempted to identify exactly what disease swept Athens resulting in so many deaths. Smallpox emerged as the most likely culprit, followed by typhus and bubonic plague.

Was the plague of Athens Ebola?

Now three medical researchers and a classics professor are suggesting that the Plague of Athens (circa 430-425 B.C.) was, in fact, an attack of Ebola, the modern world’s most vicious virus (up to 90 percent of those stricken with Ebola die) and, for a while, the world’s most celebrated.

What diseases did Hippocrates discover?

Direct contributions to medicine Hippocrates and his followers were first to describe many diseases and medical conditions. He is given credit for the first description of clubbing of the fingers, an important diagnostic sign in chronic lung disease, lung cancer and cyanotic heart disease.

Where did the plague of Athens originate?

Originating in Ethiopia, it spread throughout the Mediterranean. It spared no segment of the population, including the statesman Pericles. The epidemic broke in early May 430 BC, with another wave in the summer of 428 BC and in the winter of 427-426 BC, and lasted 4.5 to 5 years.

How many people died in the Athenian plague?

In 430 BC, a plague struck the city of Athens, which was then under siege by Sparta during the Peloponnesian War (431-404 BC). In the next 3 years, most of the population was infected, and perhaps as many as 75,000 to 100,000 people, 25% of the city’s population, died.