Plague of Athens refers to two epidemics (outbreaks of disease) that occurred between 430 B.C. and 426 B.C. during a war between the Greek cities of Athens and Sparta. Thucydides, an Athenian general and historian, provides the only contemporary account of this plague in his History of the Peloponnesian War. The plague killed about a third of the people in Athens, including the statesman Pericles. Thucydides’ description of the plague and its effects, particularly the widespread social upheaval, is recognized by medical historians as a model for describing later epidemics.
Athens suffered two outbreaks of a mysterious disease that caused widespread suffering and death throughout the city. Thucydides writes about a severe disease that had traveled from Ethiopia in northern Africa west into Libya and east into Persia (now Iran). The disease reached Athens in the summer of 430 B.C. In his writings, Thucydides claims to have suffered and recovered from this disease.
Symptoms.
Thucydides provides a vivid description of the symptoms of the epidemic. He describes how the disease moved from the head to the stomach. It would begin with a severe fever along with inflammation of the eyes, throat, and tongue, and foul breath. The disease would then produce persistent coughing and pain in the chest. Next, it would settle in the stomach causing severe diarrhea and vomiting. Then the disease caused spasms and ultimately death. The bodies of those who suffered this disease were said to be covered with small pustules (pus-filled bumps) and ulcers. Sufferers also felt a great internal heat, which could not be relieved by drinking or bathing.
Thucydides’ account of the plague of Athens provides information on ancient views on epidemics. Medical historians point to Thucydides’ description of the movement of the plague from Ethiopia to Athens, his account of the crowded conditions in Athens, and his claim that those who visited the sick were most likely to contract the disease, as an early understanding of contagion in the ancient world.
Cause.
Thucydides never claims to know the cause of the plague. Many people in the ancient world thought that exposure to miasma, a foul-smelling vapor rising from decaying matter, could cause disease. The theory of miasma was the most common explanation for plagues until the development of the germ theory of disease in the late 1800’s.
Medical historians are not certain about the cause of the plague of Athens. Many think that bubonic plague caused the epidemic. A variety of other diseases have also been suggested as possible causes of this plague. However, the vocabulary Thucydides used to describe the signs and symptoms of this plague do not conform to the concepts of disease found in modern medicine. On account of this, medical scholars still have not determined a definite cause for this plague.
