Pox Romana: The Plague that Shook the Roman World
The Antonine plague hit Rome at its height, and the empire never quite recovered its confidence.
Colin Elliott examines the epidemic that swept the Roman world from the 160s, drawing on climate data, disease modelling and the thin written record to ask what it killed and what it changed. He is careful about the limits of the evidence, and the book reads as a companion to Kyle Harper’s work on Rome and disease.
Recommended by 1 Person
Tyler Cowen
Colin Elliott, Pox Romana: The Plague that Shook the Roman World. Think of this as a sequel to Kyle Harper’s tract on Roman plagues and their political import, this look at the Antonine plague and its impact has both good history and good economics. It is also highly readable.
Source · January 2024
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