That earlier plague

Abstract

The plague, appearing about A.D. 542, continued as a series of epidemics well into the seventh century and followed a pattern much like that of the fourteenth century Black Death. Just previously, the Byzantine Emperor Justinian (527-565) had recaptured North Africa from the Vandals and much of Italy from the Ostrogoths. The prospect of reestablishing the whole Roman Empire seemed good since conditions in the east were excellent and much of the west might welcome his armies. The plague interrupted and probably made impossible the fulfillment of that program. About as destructive as the later plague, it reduced the population 40-50 percent by the end of the century. This simplified culture by cutting down the size of the cities. Heavier mortality of smaller households injured the clergy and the more literate groups. The lighter losses in the dry areas tended to upset the balance between semi-nomadic and settled lands, Society was changed radically and upset emotionally. Burdened by increasing depression and loss of population, the Byzantine Empire had to reduce the size of its field armies. Not only was the offensive in the West abandoned after 565, but the southern defenses were so weakened that Islam, in the next century, tore away Egypt and Syria. The simpler conditions induced by the plague offered an ideal opportunity for the development and spread of Islam, particularly in the nomadic and semi-nomadic areas. In the west the threat of Frankish expansion weakened and localism increased. The general pattern of Greek, Arab, and German dominance was to persist for centuries. © 1968 Population Association of America.