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Yersinia pestis and the Plague of Justinian 541–543 AD: a genomic analysis

Medievalists.net — Sun, 07 Jun 2015 02:08:01 +0000

Between 541 and 543 AD, the Plague of Justinian, traditionally regarded as the first of three human plague pandemics, spread from either central Asia or Africa across the Mediterranean basin into Europe, killing an estimated 100 million people according to the contemporary scholar Procopius

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The Patriarch Alexios Stoudites and the Reinterpretation of Justinianic Legislation against Heretics

Medievalists.net — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 11:08:31 +0000

Using normative legal sources such as law codes and imperial novels to illuminate Byzantine heresy is a very difficult proposition. One of the great problems in the analysis of Byzantine law in general is that the normative legal sources rarely were adapted to subsequent economic, political, or social conditions.

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Two King of Kings? Procopius’ Presentation of Justinian and Kosrow I

Medievalists.net — Wed, 25 Jun 2014 19:34:22 +0000

This paper investigates Procopius’ description of two of the most influential men of his era: the Persian emperor Kosrow I (ruled 531-579), and the Byzantine emperor Justinian (ruled 527-565).

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The Red Sea and the Port of Clysma. A Possible Gate of Justinian’s Plague

Medievalists.net — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 13:12:31 +0000

The aim of this study is to present the sea and land commercial routes of the Byzantine Egypt and their role in the dissemination of the plague bacteria Yersinia pestis from the Red Sea to Mediterranean ports. The Mediterranean port of Pelusium was considered as the starting point of the first plague pandemic...

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‘Waiting Only for a Pretext’: A New Chronology for the Sixth-Century Byzantine Invasion of Spain

Medievalists.net — Thu, 13 Feb 2014 20:41:53 +0000

This article argues that the common modern version of the invasion, in which Byzantine forces arrived in 552, fought on the side of the usurper Athanagild until 555, and then fought against Athanagild for a brief period before concluding a treaty with him, is flawed and, relying on a more precise reading of the sources, proposes a new chronology and narrative, in which Byzantine forces did not arrive until 554.

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Theodora, Aetius of Amida, and Procopius: Some Possible Connections

Medievalists.net — Sun, 29 Dec 2013 13:52:37 +0000

Behind the purported facts of Theodora’s career as a common prostitute and later as empress are the hidden details of what we might call feminine pharmacology: what were the drugs used by prostitutes and call-girls in sixth-century Byzan- tium? Were there ordinary pharmaceuticals employed by such professionals to stay in business?

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Plague of Justinian was caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, scientists confirm

Medievalists.net — Tue, 14 May 2013 05:29:56 +0000

The Black Death, which caused the deaths of tens of millions of people in the fourteenth century, was caused bacterium Yersinia pestis. New evidence now shows that the same microscopic bacterium also caused the Plague of Justinian in the sixth century.

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The Death Toll of Justinian’s Plague and Its Effects on the Byzantine Empire

Medievalists.net — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 21:19:48 +0000

In 541 a plague arrived in Egypt and rapidly began to spread. The following account of the beginning of the plague, while clearly an exaggeration still shows the impact of the disease.

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Procopius’ Portrayal of Theodora in the Secret History: ‘Her Charity was Universal’

Medievalists.net — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 17:02:24 +0000

Like most other writers of late antiquity, what little is known about Procopius comes from his works. Born at the turn of the sixth century in Caesarea, he had the chance to receive education in the traditional Greek fashion, i.e. through the use of classical authors, before Justinian banned pagan teaching in 529

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John Lydus’ Political Message and the Byzantine Image of the Ideal Ruler

Medievalists.net — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:39:22 +0000

What makes a great emperor? This was one of the questions addressed by John Lydus, a 6th century Byzantine administrator and writer, whose work On Powers examined the rule of previous Roman emperors.

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