WORLD CIVILIZATION

Detailed explanation-1: -The pathogen moved stealthily at first, with people first showing symptoms two weeks or so after contracting it. The plague waxed and waned for a generation, peaking in the year 189 when a witness recalled that 2, 000 people died per day in the crowded city of Rome. Smallpox devastated much of Roman society.

Detailed explanation-2: -The unceasing flow of sea, river, and road traffic between commercial centers spread the plague across huge distances in what is known as a “metastatic leap.” Big commercial cities were infected first, and from there the plague radiated to nearby towns and villages, from where it would spread into the countryside.

Detailed explanation-3: -The Antonine plague spread throughout the Roman Empire, and perhaps other areas, including China, and infected many millions of people. The pandemic erupted during the last years of what is often considered the “golden age” of Rome during the reign of co-emperor Marcus Aurelius.

Detailed explanation-4: -Plague bacteria are most often transmitted by the bite of an infected flea. During plague epizootics, many rodents die, causing hungry fleas to seek other sources of blood. People and animals that visit places where rodents have recently died from plague are at risk of being infected from flea bites.