Plagues, climate change, and the end of an empire. A response to Kyle Harper's The Fate of Rome (2): Plagues and a crisis of empire

This is the second of a three-section review of Kyle Harper's The Fate of Rome in which we examine in detail Harper's treatment of two allegedly widespread and mortal Roman outbreaks of disease. In the case of the second-century Antonine plague, we demonstrate that Harper overlooked a majo...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Haldon, John F. 1948- (Author) ; Elton, Hugh (Author) ; Hübner, Sabine R. 1976- (Author) ; Izdebski, Adam 1984- (Author) ; Mordechai, Lee (Author) ; Newfield, Timothy P. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: 2018
In: History compass
Year: 2018, Volume: 16, Issue: 12, Pages: 1-10
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
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Summary:This is the second of a three-section review of Kyle Harper's The Fate of Rome in which we examine in detail Harper's treatment of two allegedly widespread and mortal Roman outbreaks of disease. In the case of the second-century Antonine plague, we demonstrate that Harper overlooked a major controversy and instead portrayed an oversimplified narrative of a catastrophic event. In the case of the third-century Cyprianic plague, we call attention to several glaring methodological issues in Harper's treatment of the episode, point out the absence of corresponding evidence in the papyri, and cast doubt on the linkage previously drawn between the plague and archaeology.
ISSN:1478-0542
Contains:Enthalten in: History compass
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1111/hic3.12506