Plague of Athens: What Happened
In 430 BC, during the second year of the Peloponnesian War, a deadly epidemic broke out in Athens. The city was packed with refugees from the countryside, who had moved inside the Long Walls to escape Spartan invasions, and the crowded, unsanitary conditions allowed the disease to spread rapidly. The historian Thucydides, who caught the disease and survived, left a vivid description of its symptoms, including fever, rashes, vomiting and terrible thirst, and of the despair and lawlessness it caused as people stopped burying the dead and abandoned religious customs. The plague returned in later years and may have killed a quarter or more of the population, though estimates vary. Among its victims was Pericles, the city's leading statesman, who died in 429 BC. The identity of the disease is still debated. Suggestions include typhus, typhoid fever, smallpox and measles, and DNA research on a mass grave in Athens has pointed to typhoid, though this remains contested. The plague weakened Athens' army and morale and removed the leader whose strategy had guided its war.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the Plague of Athens?
The Plague of Athens was a deadly epidemic that broke out in 430 BC during the Peloponnesian War. It spread through the crowded city and returned in later years, killing a large part of the population.
What disease caused the Plague of Athens?
The disease is still debated. Suggestions include typhus, typhoid fever, smallpox and measles. DNA research on a mass grave has pointed to typhoid, but this remains contested.
How many people died in the Plague of Athens?
Estimates vary, but it may have killed a quarter or more of the population of Athens. The city was especially vulnerable because refugees had crowded inside the Long Walls.
Did Pericles die of the plague?
Yes. Pericles, the leading statesman of Athens, died of the plague in 429 BC. His death removed the leader whose strategy had guided Athens in the war.
Who described the Plague of Athens?
The historian Thucydides caught the disease and survived. He left a vivid description of its symptoms and its effects on society in his History of the Peloponnesian War.
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