In Western Europe in the fourteenth century, a plague affected a large population. The plague earned the name the “Black Death” in the nineteenth century, but originally had the name the “Great Plague” or “Great Pestilence.” The spots on the skin of contaminated people inspired the name “Black Death,” since the spots were black and dark blue.
The disease originated in Central Asia. Traders that travelled across the Silk Road carried the disease all the way to Europe. It quickly infected Spain, England, Ireland, and France. Within five years, the plague had killed around one third of the European population.
It seems that people unintentionally spread the disease more than they knew. When the disease threatened a city, citizens frantically fled and unknowingly brought the disease with them. Also, people attended crowded parties in attempts to comfort themselves and relieve their stress. Instead, they ended up spreading the disease even more rapidly, since they were so close to so many other people.
The plague created major changes in Europe. There were fewer workers, and they demanded higher wages. Many teachers died, so uneducated people taught the schools. Also, people spoke Latin less often, since not all the survivors were familiar with the language. In total, the plague killed as many as seventy five million people.
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It's interesting that the Silk Roads are often seen as a blessing since it created economic prosperity and trade for so many people howver the unintentional effect of the Silk Roads killed so many as well. I wonder if the Black Death was responsible for makin Latin a "dead language"...
ReplyDeleteThe flu and the large media coverage it has garnered, along with the number of school closings it has caused, has made me think lately about the huge impact disease has on a society. When people lack an understanding of disease transmission it is easy for the disease to kill millions. Even today when we understand how a disease like AIDS spreads it still affects the destiny of cultures. One only has to look to Africa to see the impact of current diseases on nations and cultures.
ReplyDeleteThe silk road is a much older example of many things we still have today. Look at many of the diseases that have been on the global radar and the effect that it has had on the way people travel. It was only a few years back that people wore masks when they went on air planes in fear of the SARS virus.
ReplyDeleteI really do not find it surprising that diseases and other illnesses were spread throughout the Silk Road. Each of these cultures were more excluded before the use of the Silk Road, so its not surprsing that once communication with others started that diseases would be spread.
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