Outbreaks of infectious, deadly diseases have decimated human populations since we first began to congregate. One of the causes of the Fall of Rome is thought to have been Bubonic Plague.
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In the Biblical book of Exodus, Moses wanted to lead the Hebrew people out of Egypt, but the pharaoh resisted. The 10 plagues were a divine demonstration of power and displeasure designed to persuade the pharaoh to "let my people go," in the words of the spiritual "Go Down Moses." There is debate as to whether there is any physical evidence for these 10 plagues. Some natural explanations have bee…
Mythology adds zest to this fascinating survey of man's inhumanity to man. In Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs - Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World, Adrienne Mayor demonstrates how only minor details regarding how best to destroy one's enemy have changed over the millennia.
The names of the 10 plagues of Egypt from the Bible book of Exodus.
Kerameikos was a community of potters with a cemetery in ancient Athens.
Review of
Plagues and Poxes : The Impact of Human History on Epidemic Diseases, by Alfred Jay Bollet.
A quick look at smallpox in antiquity.
Thucydides tells of the outbreak of plague among the closed-in citizens of Athens which led to the death of many, including Pericles.
