The historian Procopius, in his “History of the Wars”, recorded that in the mid 530s something occurred which caused the sun to be covered by a dust veil, and that this continued for a year. Similar reports come from China, Japan, and Ireland. All across the world in the 530s, crops failed, famine struck, and then, in the 540s, in the Mediterranean, a strange disease began to spread among the populace. This was the Plague of Justinian–the first recorded instance of the Black Death which would return to ravage Eurasia in the 1300s. What we know about the Plague of Justinian, and the bizarre weather of the 530s, which apparently was caused by volcanic eruptions and caused a climatic downturn where temperatures decreased by at least three degrees worldwide, is changing rapidly. This video explains what we currently know of what, to many, seemed to be an apocalyptic time. And, as reflected in the primary sources, it is for this reason that historians have begun to discuss the 530s, with the Plague of Justinian, Justinian’s wars of reconquest, his building program, financial panics, barbarian invasion, and the climate issues, as the true end of the Roman Empire.
SOURCES:
The Fate of Rome, Harper
New Approaches to the Plague of Justinian, Sarris
New Rome, Stephenson
Catastrophe, Keys
The Ruin of the Roman Empire, O’Donnell
Plague & the End of Antiquity, Little
Justinian’s Flea, Rosen
source
A very interesting and useful study, thanks.
I had heard that one of the volcanoes was Krakatoa in Indonesia, in fact there was some documentary suggesting that it was the only volcano errupting at the time. They found evidence in the strata, etc. So I was surprised that it didn't even get a mention. I know your research is often far more scholarly than some random documentary though hahaha. Have you read anything about this? Is it just some misinterpretation of the the strata or did they just simply make it up lol? I'm always interested to hear your opinion. Thankyou for another very informative video, as always 😊
What happened during the lockdowns is the food waste from human consumption disappeared, this in turn forced the rats to go further for food, with no humans around it was a free for all, then out come the humans again with our waste, but now the rats have established themselves even closer to human populations, with the waste comes a boom in numbers and i have seen so many huge rats all over since lockdowns.
Nicely done sir, especially in the aftermath of the past couple of years. Hopefully more will see this and understand what a real plague is.
Great video as always. Thank you.
Just an idea but I love that you regularly include books you use as sources and was thinking a tour of your library/overview of good sources for different periods would be really interesting. I'd love to see what you use for these videos and learn new books to read to deepen my understanding of many of these topics.
Like 10 years ago, I happened across an historical trade mag [?The Historian/Historian Today] with a piece about the late Roman southern Anatolian [Lydian or Lycian] folk tale of Artus Rex, inc works (round table, sword in stone, Lady in lake, etc). Never been able to confirm so unsure if joke, hoax, or one of those things ignored for vested interests. Anyone ?
Fantastic video. Illuminating and also it's a good pointer as to which books to get to read more on this fascinating and scarcely known issue.
These visits to lesser known eras or aspects of an era, complete with sources and quoted from authors, are the best way to use thr youtube hour long video format.
You are also very good at threading the events and sources in a way that's frankly quite gripping.
Your videos are PHENOMENAL! Thank you for deep dives on a time period I've only scratched the surface so far. Your other videos on the Gothic and Vandallic people and condition of WRE helped my understanding tons.
A historian Jimmy Neutron, crafting a symphony of only the illest facts on illness. The dankest of the 'Dark Ages' (term deemed outdated by most modern historians).
I'm going to show off my neckbeard here for a second and say I recently played a mod for Warband, set in the year 457 AD…. it's nice me thinks
Great episode
Brilliant stuff. All the sciences and clarity as well.
So, I’ve actually been looking for a more accurate graph, but so far no luck. What we have is derived from Greenland ice cores and tree ring evidence, and is really just generalized to the northern hemisphere. But who knows, maybe in a few years we’ll have a more accurate graph for more regions
So has there been any new discoveries regarding the Plague of Athens, which felled Pericles?
The problem is archeology of over 4000 Roman empire sites reveals & proves a 700-year error in Christian history. This event was 936 & took out civilizations, globally.
As a farmer I look at the almanac to see what baseline to expect in central Nebraska and it has been changing. Talk to the old timers and it is always I’ve never seen weather like this.
Makes you wonder how it was for farmers that don’t have this information coped with what must have felt like an apocalypse
Great video
So your next video is about Procopius Secret History?
Pneumonic version is the most virulent and meant almost
certain guaranteed death. Some hypothesise that it was the
form responsible for most fatalities even though Bubonic
was more common.
This is becoming the best history channel on YouTube – and that is saying something
Great video!
Do they know where the volcanic eruption in the Northern Hemisphere was?
Plasmids. That is the name. The packets of DNA that different bacteria and viruses barter with each other!
Thank you! I had asked others how the modern view adopted the idea that Justinian's Plague was bubonic. You said it without being asked. DNA found in the victims!
Incredible work as always
These videos are excellent. They remind me of a series the BBC did centuries ago which was just AJP Taylor talking to camera. Simple and engrossing and informative. 10/10
The plauge was the end of the ancient world. It disrupted medditeranian centric trade which never recovered. Also what vestiges of roman civilization and governance remaining in the west disappeared.
I heard some researchers identify krakatoa as one of the large eruptions around 540, there's evidence of a massive eruption from centuries before the modern one in 1880s. I also saw a video that mentioned illopango in el Salvador having a high 6 low 7 eruption around that time, but I later heard it was a century before in the early 400s so I don't know
Thank you for a very informative and interesting video
I wonder if any of the peasants in tiny provincial towns hit by the Plague of Justinian used the opportunity of all those dead, across all social strata, to install themselves as the new aristocracy of their little hamlets. I wonder if this might even be saved in the Byzantine records somewhere: like if some brand new person started reporting to Constantinople in place of the old aristocracy, with a note like "Lord Rockefeller has passed away, and in his place, the nobles of our fair town have chosen Sir Cletus Pigknuckles as the new administrator."
I mean, who would even be around to contradict this version of events? If a small town of 400 people loses half its people, half its sheriffs and deputies, and 9 of its 14 aristocrats, all at once from a disease that CLEARLY shows God hated the old status quo, why not just get your buddies together, grab some knives and pitchforks, murder the remaining male aristocrats and force the female aristocrats to marry you? You could jump from dung sweeper to duke in a day! And the only people still alive in your town who might NOT like it are now under your yoke! And they're mostly illiterate anyway, so it's not like they'll be mailing letters to Justinian with complaints.
Excellent video! 
Excellent documentary,on this medical/environmental topic
(I think the latest historians conclude rat were not central. Please consider this).
Gotta give it up for the 6th century! 1,500 years ago… that's only about 50-60 generations.
Declining solar activity may cause increased volcanic activity. The strength of the Sun's heliosphere is reduced letting more cosmic rays into the solar system. These GCRs affect magma
There was a very quick reply to Peter Sarris' Journal article by other researchers, who have the established view that the Plague of Justinian wiped out a large proportion of the population of the ancient Near East. It contained some compelling arguments about the limitations of Sarris' methodology. I'm not a historian, only a casual enthusiast, but I recommend trying to find it if you haven't already.
Who thinks Justinian looks like Adam Sandler?
Maybe I missed it, but did you refer to Rosen's great book "Justinian's Flea"? It's the best book I've read on the subject.
Has anyone studies how the Justinian plague may have contributed to the later Arab muslim expansion? It occurred Less than 100 years after these events and I would tend to assume that land trade routes throughout the middle east would not be as conducive to the spread of rat infestation than sea routes and so some of the nomadic populations may not have been so adversely affected.
More like The Biologist's Craft! How long did it take for you to research/learn the biology for this video?
Roman history is just crazy. The first two Punic Wars should have dropped Rome to its knees but instead made their hegemony stronger. The Late Republic civil wars (91-31) were even more devastating to the status quo, but the empire not only adapted, in some ways it was just getting started and set up its true peak. The Crisis by every measure should have ended Roman history but once again they endured the worst and rose above, but then the 5th, 6th and 7th centuries each saw sustained decades of strife without a century or more of let up like the previous times, and they seemed to stack on top of one another. Even THAT wasn't quite enough to close the book on their history, and the Macedonian renaissance gave the Romans and Mediterranean trade just enough to carry them into the late medieval period.
Thanks for another excellent episode and also for the one on Gobekli Tepe are there any plans for an episode on the civilisation that built the megaliths and hypogea in Malta or the mehrgarh civilization?
In my law studies, I only ever knew Justinian through his codification. Until your videos, I finally saw him for what he was. Thank you.