Great Plague Dbq
In 542 CE a disease called, The Great Plague struck Constantinople that was so overwhelming, it changed the face of history forever in Eastern Europe. The disease was first noticed in Pelusium, an Egyptian harbor town. The problem with this plague was that no one was sure of what caused it. In later years we have found out that the disease was caused by bacteria and parasites that used rats as hosts. North Africa, in the 8th century CE, was the primary source of grain for the empire, along with a number of different commodities including paper, oil, ivory, and slaves. Stored in vast warehouses, the grain provided a perfect breeding ground for the fleas and rats, crucial to the transmission of plague. These rats would then infect our drinking
and eating sources, thus spreading the bacteria to hundreds of thousands of people. The means of transmission of the plague was the black rat (Rattus rattus), which traveled on the grain ships and carts sent to Constantinople as tribute. However, as time pass the plague started to spread through Procopius. Procopius was the legal advisor to the general Belisarius. He accompanied Belisarius on his missions throughout the Mediterranean Basin at the time that the plague erupted. This disease occurred in the 15th year of the emperor Justinian's reign. At the height of the contagion's rampage, the daily death toll may have reached 10,000 or more. Justinian himself, was stricken with this disease. The final death count is not clearly known, but some historians feel that it may have reached into the upper hundreds of thousands. Some effects of the great plague were that the people had a sudden fever, some while sleeping, some while walking, and others while engaged without any regard of what they were doing. Soon after, the symptoms would escalate into a type of swelling. The abdomen, armpits, thighs, and ears were the most common body parts affected. The lymph glands were also commonly affected. They were called buboes and for this part of the body the illness was named. Finally, some survivors regained perfect health. These people that recovered were then believed to be immune. They were then put to work carrying off and burying the thousands of new bodies daily. The great Plague finally disappeared in 750 CE.
and eating sources, thus spreading the bacteria to hundreds of thousands of people. The means of transmission of the plague was the black rat (Rattus rattus), which traveled on the grain ships and carts sent to Constantinople as tribute. However, as time pass the plague started to spread through Procopius. Procopius was the legal advisor to the general Belisarius. He accompanied Belisarius on his missions throughout the Mediterranean Basin at the time that the plague erupted. This disease occurred in the 15th year of the emperor Justinian's reign. At the height of the contagion's rampage, the daily death toll may have reached 10,000 or more. Justinian himself, was stricken with this disease. The final death count is not clearly known, but some historians feel that it may have reached into the upper hundreds of thousands. Some effects of the great plague were that the people had a sudden fever, some while sleeping, some while walking, and others while engaged without any regard of what they were doing. Soon after, the symptoms would escalate into a type of swelling. The abdomen, armpits, thighs, and ears were the most common body parts affected. The lymph glands were also commonly affected. They were called buboes and for this part of the body the illness was named. Finally, some survivors regained perfect health. These people that recovered were then believed to be immune. They were then put to work carrying off and burying the thousands of new bodies daily. The great Plague finally disappeared in 750 CE.