The Justinianic, a deadly plague caused by the bubonic Plague, which was made through the Roman or Byzantine Empire during Justinian’s reign in the sixth century, is one of the great freeze moments in history. The name “Justinianic Plague” was given after the name of the ruling leader by that time, who reigned from 526 to 565 and lived in the imperial capital of Constantinople. Symptomless of this illness, Justinian uncannily found himself ruling under its large-scale epidemic. In the beginning, and also with respect to subsequent plagues like the “Black Death” in the fourteenth century, scholars often discuss the Justinianic Plague as the “First Plague Pandemic.” The essay aims to discuss the symptoms, the people’s reactions to the Plague and the lessons learned using sources and eyewitness testimonies so as to have a more profound implication of the Plague on society and its epidemiological characteristics.
The Plague had main symptoms, such as fever, chills and swellings of buboes, and different neurological affections. The fever, being unpredictable, overtook one day, and the people, without even being warned, were found either asleep, walking around, or engaged in other activities. Firstly, the less intense nature of the fever did not arouse that cause of alarm. A few weeks later, several lumps of bubonic swellings appeared on different body parts like the abdomen and thighs. These knots are known as palpable buboes. The dangerous carbuncle arising from them as intruders is in every way no less strange. According to (Halsall, 4), some people had neurological symptoms such as deep coma and violent delirium. For some, sleep was a temporary state, whereas others remained forever awake, and nerves got feverish, imitating different threats and pleading to escape (Halsall, 6).
The Plague struck people globally, irrespective of their social and economic class. The disease took its course from Egypt to Palestine and then to the entire globe, and even Byzantium is no exception (Halsall, 3). The disease did not follow any recognizable trend; it would suddenly creep up and strike without any apparent order during all seasons and regardless of a person’s age, gender, or health condition. History suggests that the Plague was heading to both Europe and Asia, regardless of its original location, due to the lack of borders or travel restrictions. Moreover, infectious diseases have attacked all inhabited places. The fact that the city of Constantinople occupied a central role made it brutally endure. In the city, the number of deaths followed the high mortality rate.
When the pestilence had yet to come to an end and had started to disseminate to the Byzantium Empire, both ordinary people and the authorities had their views. In such an exceptional and dangerous condition, people responded with panic, confusion, and doubt. With a sudden rush of illness and death in the midst of recovery, families had to deal with the increase in grief and daily exposure to the deceased as they struggled to overcome the death of family members (Halsall, 10). A main point directly affects how people are pictured in these scenes: sorrow, devastation, and natural weariness of people who have to deal with the disaster caused by the Plague. Many people stoically gave up the traditional customs of calling for the dead when the death toll was so devastating, hence aggravating the tragedy.
In regard to the crisis, certain medical personalities, along with state and authority officials, tried to minimize the suffering of the victims of the Plague, the dead and the living. Procopius tells of the strictly conducted process of total reburial of the dead bodies in Constantinople by the order of Justinian’s government, which once again means that the epidemic was of a very big scale (Halsall, 6). The leaders of the town, even if at first they did not have any idea about the nature of the epidemic, still conducted investigations to understand the disease and to provide the afflicted people with medical assistance. The outcome of the actions of authorities was rather ambiguous – it both set up the ground for the spread of the disease and prevented the complete disaster. The removal of contagious dead bodies by mass graves helped, at least to some extent. Still, the almost parallel rush of burial practices and infrastructure was not enough to cope with the huge number of diseased individuals (Sessa, 12).
In the 6th century, people had several claims for the Plague, which sometimes reflected the belief that such illnesses had a divine origin and the victims had to be punished for wrongdoing. The Plague is considered a punishment of the Almighty, sent to back up repentance and to remember that when a man does evil, he can face greater calamity (Witakowski, 79). Furthermore, the Plague, as the main theme, did not only prompt people to have an understanding of the consequences of their misconduct but to seek forgiveness from the Almighty Father before they suffer to sweat for their sins, to pay for their misdeeds and errors. The main source underlines the random and harbinger nature of the Plague, where physicians, rulers, nobles, servants, inhabitants, and the death of everyone else were involved in the epidemic.
The teachings from the history of this epidemic are still providing us with wisdom. They rightfully remind us of the exceptional and destructive nature of pandemics. It simply states that Public preparedness and speed of reaction are essential in addressing public health challenges. The Plague made in European society in the sixth century is a clear example that everyone should coordinate to prevent the development of a pandemic and its negative impacts on communities (Halsall, 5). Finally, a shared response to the Plague, with aid, calm, and kindness, shows the relevant fact that communities should be united and have strong bonds when a crisis is happening. Presently, as we deal with the fears staring us in the face with a pandemic, the principles of previous plagues, like the bubonic Plague, may act as a foundation for our response and consequently design systems that are stronger and more compassionate for our people.
Summing up the epistle, Justinian’s bubonic Plague is one of such warriors of the time, who put before people fascinating problems and was through it that the world could learn to fight pandemics. Ordinary people’s panic, fear, and despair appear as authorities resist the spread of disease with all possible means. The didacticism of this historic event is still magnified and clear in today’s society. In the transient global health crises we witness today, preparedness, cooperation, and compassion are the most important things that have to be taken into account. In this way, by recognizing the past and assuming the scheme of collective action, we are much more prepared to manage the present state and ensure the safety of the next generation’s well-being. Therefore, the legacy of the Justinianic Plague becomes a vital proof of humans’ endurance and character in battle against trials they create them.
Works Cited
Halsall, Paul. “Internet History Sourcebooks Project.” Fordham.edu, 2019, sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/542procopius-plague.asp.
Sessa, Kristina. “The Justinianic Plague.” Origins, June 2020, origins.osu.edu/connecting-history/covid-justinianic-plague-lessons?language_content_entity=en.
Witakowski, Witold. 74 PSEUDO-DIONYSIUS of TEL-MAHRE CHRONICLE. www.plu.edu/studyaway/wp-content/uploads/sites/222/2020/09/john-of-ephesus-for-glst.pdf.
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