Interdisciplinary Insights from the Plague of Cyprian: Pathology, Epidemiology, Ecology and History

by Mark Orsag, Amanda E. McKinney, DeeAnn M. Reeder

Overview

This book tackles the difficult challenge of uncovering the pathogenic cause, epidemiological mechanics and broader historical impacts of an extremely deadly third-century ancient Roman pandemic. The core of this research is embodied in a novel systems synthesis methodology that allows for ground-breaking historical-scientific problem-solving. Through precise historical and scientific problem-solving, analysis and modelling, the authors piece together a holistic puzzle portrait of an ancient plague that is fully consistent, in turn, with both the surviving ancient evidence and the latest in cutting edge twenty-first-century modern medical and molecular phylogenetic science. Demonstrating the broader relevance of the crisis-beset world of the third-century Roman Empire in providing guiding and cautionary historical lessons for the present, this innovative book provides fascinating insights for students and scholars across a range of disciplines.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783031260940
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan
Publication date:	03/30/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	17 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Mark Orsag is Professor of European and Interdisciplinary History and Chair of the History Department at Doane University in the USA. Prior to this, he studied at Carnegie-Mellon University, Pennsylvania State University, and Michigan State University. Mark’s research is centered at the nexus of history and the natural sciences.

Dr. Amanda McKinney is the founder/executive director of the Institute for Human and Planetary Health in the USA. She is a triple board-certified physician with a medical degree from the University of Nebraska and residency/fellowship training at the University of California-Irvine. She is a Collaborator in the Planetary Limits Academic Network, which “aims to raise awareness about critical systemic challenges facing the human endeavor.” Her ongoing research encompasses both plant medicine and how planetary limits will impact US healthcare.

DeeAnn M. Reeder is Professor of Biology at Bucknell University in the USA. She is a wildlife biologist who studies disease ecology, behavior, physiology, and conservation. Having previously studied at UC Berkeley, UC Davis and Boston University, DeeAnn’s current research explores the relationships between bat health, ecosystem health and human disease risk. She holds a research position at the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC.

Table of Contents

Part I-“The Theory”: The Rediscovery and Reinterpretation of an Ancient Pandemic.- Chapter 1– The Ancient Evidentiary Foundations.- Chapter 2 – A Most Difficult Source and the Relevance of Climatic Circumstances.- Part II-- “The What and the How”: Underlying Differential Virology, Molecular Phylogenetics, Host Species Ecology and Biogeographical Presence.- Chapter 3– Retrospective and Differential Pathogen Diagnosis.- Chapter 4– Of Bats and Empires: The Egyptian Rousette Bat and the Kingdom of Aksum.- Chapter 5–Modeling an Ancient Zoonotic Outbreak.- Part III--“The Why”: Projected MARV Lineage Epidemiology and Pathology in the Third century Roman Empire.- Chapter 6– Guardrail Modeling: Geographical Dissemination Pathways and the Urban Epidemiological Setting.- Chapter 7– Exploration of Modeled Urban Epidemiology Concluded and Analysis of the Contrasting Epidemiological Situation in the Imperial Countryside.- Chapter 8– The Plague of Cyprian: Timelines, Outlines and Parameters.- Part IV: “Conclusion--Final Thoughts on the Plague of Cyprian”:  Methodological Defense and Brief Overview of Our “Solution”, Histoiographical Context and Current Relevance.- Chapter 9– Situating the Plague of Cyprian within the Broader Outlines of Roman History.- Chapter 10- Modern Relevance of the Plague of Cyprian.

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Alain Touwaide, PhD (Ronin Institute)
Description: The so-called Plague of Cyprian was a pandemic in the ancient Roman World (149-251) that has recently been the object of renewed scrutiny. Given the imprecision of related, ancient terminology, the nature of this pandemic is relatively unknown. This book analyzes the Plague from a multidisciplinary approach.
Purpose: Since pandemics have been linked with the decline of Rome, trying to better understand the supposed causes is key. The purpose of the book is to explore their impact on Roman civilization and gain insight into related modern-day challenges. It aims to contribute to the understanding of pandemics in all the diversity of their causal factors and impact. The book also adds to the new historical line of investigation on empires (both old and new) and their decline, transition, and resilience.
Audience: The book is mainly meant for historians of medicine specializing in paleopathology, epidemics and pandemics, epidemiology, or population health. It is also a major study for historians strictly speaking, particularly historians of the Roman World, Late Antiquity, and the Middle Ages, with interest in the decline of the Roman World and the transition toward a new society and world.
Features: Based on recent and relevant studies, the book assimilates and contrasts their results, reaching the conclusion that the pandemic had a 15-year life cycle, was an urban-centered phenomenon, and diffused from the Roman empire to the Balkans. To reach these conclusions, the authors combine most of the available analytical methods, structuring the research into three major parts: evidence (not only textual but also environmental), hard science (from virology to biogeography, including phylogenetics, ecology and computerized modeling), and application of the dissemination model identified for the so-called "Marburg Virus" (MARV). The conclusion projects a new view on the question of the "Decline of the Roman World."
Assessment: This book is a pioneering study that builds a compelling case through its extremely detailed analysis of available literature. It is a must-have for any library interested in medical history, history of the classical world, and demography (ancient and modern). This mass culmination of history, models, and analyses can be challenging to sift through. Nevertheless, the effort is worth the time investment. This book is a major contribution to a field currently in transformation.

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