Award Name
Sophomore Award Winner
Award Date
Spring 2021
Faculty Sponsor
Benjamin Keim
Description/Abstract
My paper, “Politics of Plague: Ancient Epidemics and Their Impact on Society,” examines the four major plagues that wrought immense destruction across the ancient Mediterranean world: the Plague of Athens (430 BCE), the Antonine Plague (165 CE), the Plague of Cyprian (250 CE), and the Justinianic Plague (541 CE). These epidemics impelled governments to fracture and rebuild, induced the rise and fall of different religions and religious practices, altered military strategies and outcomes, and forced ancient societies to re-examine their structures, values, and inequalities. Such extreme mortalities profoundly impacted each affected society, triggering severe social, political, economic, religious, and military changes that ultimately altered the course of history, and contributed to the collapse of two of the ancient world’s greatest empires: Athens and Rome.
Terms of Use & License Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Stange, Natasha, "Politics of Plague: Ancient Epidemics and Their Impact on Society" (2021). 2021 Claremont Colleges Library Undergraduate Research Award. 4.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cclura_2021/4
