Justinian Death Research Paper

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The Justinian plague, also known as the bubonic plague, was an extremely deadly disease that took the lives of millions of people. This plague took place in the sixth century CE and is considered the first recorded wave of this disease in history. This plague swept through much of the Mediterranean, modern-day Europe, and places in the Middle East such as Palestine and Syria. Both Procopius and John of Ephesus were witnesses of the plague and recorded their perspectives of the event to share with those who came after them. Both accounts provide thorough details into the effects of the plague from their perspectives, and using these accounts we will discuss the Byzantine Empire and the effects this disastrous plague had on it. From the accounts …show more content…
Because of the severity of the plague, many people took this time to get closer to God in hopes that he would have mercy on them. The plague of this measure was nothing that the people of that time were prepared for, especially the government. Physicians and government officials played pivotal roles in the handling of this plague, but the most important role was played by Justinian, the ruler of the Byzantine Empire at the time of the plague. Emperor Justinian had to act due to the overwhelming amounts of corpses, so he assigned one of his officials named Theodorus to take care of the problem. Theodourus used the money that Justinian bestowed on him and went around the kingdom offering people hefty awards in return for their help in removing dead bodies. Though they were not able to keep up with all the bodies that were constantly being added to the death toll, this act helped tremendously in clearing out the rotting corpses and removing the foul smell that filled the air. According to Sessa, how Justinian handled the care of the dead was “unprecedented”. Unfortunately, the physicians of the time were unable to offer much help due to the science and medicine they had available at that
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