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Plague Victims Discovered After 1500 Years (Justinian)
Adnkronos ^ | 4-10-2008

Posted on 04/10/2008 3:16:15 PM PDT by blam

Italy: Plague victims discovered after 1500 years

Rome, 10 April (AKI) - The remains of hundreds of victims, believed to have been killed in a plague that swept Italy 1500 years ago, have been found south of Rome.

The bodies of men, women and children were found in Castro dei Volsci, in the region of Lazio, during excavations carried out by Lazio archaeological office.

News of the extraordinary discovery was reported in the magazine, "Archeologia Viva".

The victims are believed to have been victims of the Justinian Plague, a pandemic that killed as many as 100 million people around the world during a 50 year period in the 6th century A.D.

It spread through Europe as far north as Denmark and as far west as Ireland.

The archaeological find is the first evidence of the devastating impact of the plague.

The plague swept across the Mediterranean during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in the early 540s and according to some historians changed the course of European history because the empire then entered a period of decline.

Carried by rats and parasites, the disease spread rapidly because families at the time lived in close quarters in poor hygienic conditions. A large number of the inhabitants in Castro dei Volsci were wiped out.

Modern scholars believe that the plague killed up to 5,000 people per day in Constantinople, now known as Istanbul, at its peak and later went on to destroy up to a quarter of the human population of the eastern Mediterranean.


TOPICS: News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 536ad; ad536; antonineplague; blackdeath; blackplague; bubonicplague; byzantineempire; catastrophism; discovered; godsgravesglyphs; helixmakemineadouble; italy; justinian; justinianplague; justiniansplague; plague; plagueofathens; plagueofjustinian; romanempire; yersiniapestis
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To: marsh2; ASOC

During the black death, life expectancy at birth was - get this - 16.

It seems the english survived.

But it must have been brutal.

Imagine you are a 12-yo mother, with your first child, living on whatever you can.

By the time the child is four, it is an orphan, living like an animal.


21 posted on 04/10/2008 4:28:08 PM PDT by patton (cuiquam in sua arte credendum)
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To: marsh2

How is a cottager better than a serf?


22 posted on 04/10/2008 4:29:54 PM PDT by tbw2 ("Sirat: Through the Fires of Hell" by Tamara Wilhite - on amazon.com)
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To: blam

Some think a very large volcano erupted in the far East in 535 A.D. Summer temps. cooled and Arab traders brought the plague to Constantinople.


23 posted on 04/10/2008 4:30:48 PM PDT by count-your-change (you don't have to be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: BitBucket
"I doubt John even spoke English. "

I can't read the Magna Carta.

24 posted on 04/10/2008 4:31:06 PM PDT by blam (Secure the border and enforce the law)
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To: MeanWestTexan
AIDS may do the same thing in Africa.

That and everybody killing each other.

25 posted on 04/10/2008 4:33:56 PM PDT by Mad_Tom_Rackham ("The land of the Free...Because of the Brave")
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To: patton

The average was an average. What ended up more often was that by age 16, about a third of children had lost both parents.
There’s a reason so many fairy tales have evil-step parents. It was a norm for the society.


26 posted on 04/10/2008 4:36:53 PM PDT by tbw2 ("Sirat: Through the Fires of Hell" by Tamara Wilhite - on amazon.com)
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To: count-your-change
"Some think a very large volcano erupted in the far East in 535 A.D"

Some thoughts of Professor Mike Baillie on that period.

"He believes that impacts from cometary debris may account for most of the downturns, especially the AD 540 event."

27 posted on 04/10/2008 4:37:51 PM PDT by blam (Secure the border and enforce the law)
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To: tbw2

I maybe mistated - by age 16, half were dead.

It was indeed, an average.


28 posted on 04/10/2008 4:41:21 PM PDT by patton (cuiquam in sua arte credendum)
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To: Mad_Tom_Rackham
The Justinian plague likely set the stage for the success of the Muslim invasions. The disease so weakened the Eastern Empire that if you look at the old sources the Islamic armies had little opposition.
29 posted on 04/10/2008 4:42:28 PM PDT by Reily
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To: blam

The article isn’t very clear. Is this a plague or the plague?


30 posted on 04/10/2008 4:54:43 PM PDT by ops33
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To: count-your-change
Astronomers unravel a mystery of the Dark Ages

"The team has been studying evidence from tree rings, which suggests that the Earth underwent a series of very cold summers around 536-540 AD, indicating an effect rather like a nuclear winter."

31 posted on 04/10/2008 5:05:20 PM PDT by blam (Secure the border and enforce the law)
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To: tbw2; marsh2

What Marsh is probably referring to is a free man, working for a wage, owning his own house and a small plot of land.

A serf was allowed to own nothing, and was tied to the land. A virtual slave. His master was whoever owned the land.


32 posted on 04/10/2008 5:05:39 PM PDT by jimtorr
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To: tet68
"Oh, I’m sure somewhere there is a scientist who can bring it back to life, probably already has."

It probably wouldn't do them any good if they did. The people that survived were mostly resistant to these plagues and were the ones that passed their immunity on to us. Thats why up to 80% of the Native American population was wiped out upon the arrival of the Europeans. They had no genetic protection against a wide range of diseases that had become mere minor annoyances to the Europeans.

33 posted on 04/10/2008 5:42:55 PM PDT by Desron13 (If you constantly vote between the lesser of two evils then evil is your ultimate destination.)
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To: Mr Ramsbotham

***It was spread by seamen.***

Nah, that was AIDS.

Opps sorry, wrong seamen.


34 posted on 04/10/2008 5:43:07 PM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar (When someone burns a cross on your lawn the best firehose is an AK-47.)
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To: blam; StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 24Karet; 3AngelaD; 49th; ...

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic ·

 
Gods
Graves
Glyphs
Thanks Blam. And, wow.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.
GGG managers are Blam, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
 

· Google · Archaeologica · ArchaeoBlog · Archaeology magazine · Biblical Archaeology Society ·
· Mirabilis · Texas AM Anthropology News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo ·
· History or Science & Nature Podcasts · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·


35 posted on 04/10/2008 10:15:28 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/_____________________Profile updated Saturday, March 29, 2008)
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To: blam

Magna Carta - 1215
Black Death - 1348

No connection.


36 posted on 04/11/2008 4:40:36 AM PDT by Jacquerie (Give unto Caesar when you wish - Support the Fair Tax.)
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To: tbw2

They have a dental plan.


37 posted on 04/11/2008 7:11:27 AM PDT by MeanWestTexan (Kol Hakavod Mossad!)
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To: Jacquerie

Changed the balance of power between capital and labor.


38 posted on 04/11/2008 7:19:20 AM PDT by MeanWestTexan (Kol Hakavod Mossad!)
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To: blam

In other words, just before Muslim expansion.


39 posted on 04/11/2008 7:21:05 AM PDT by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: marsh2
I also suspect our modern free enterprise and sorta capitalistic system came from the huge population losses due to plagues.

Who would stay with Lord "X" and his obligatory 120 days of service when Lord "Y" has openings for serfs at only 90 days of service? Thus a 'free market' system of valuating labor came about.

(A significant reason why I oppose open borders and Amnesty of any sort)

40 posted on 04/11/2008 7:33:04 AM PDT by investigateworld ( Abortion stops a beating heart.)
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