Link Found Between Ancient Roman Pandemics and Cold Snaps, New Research Reveals
In a groundbreaking study, researchers have discovered a link between ancient Roman pandemics and cold snaps. The study reveals that the three largest pandemics of the Roman period occurred during some of the most abrupt and deepest cold snaps on record. This finding sheds light on the devastating impact of climate variation on human societies.
The study was led by Kyle Harper, a Roman historian at the University of Oklahoma and the Santa Fe Institute, and Karin Zonneveld, a paleoceanographer at the University of Bremen in Germany. The researchers focused on a long core of sediments drilled out of the Gulf of Taranto, which captures sediment washed out from the Po River and other rivers that drain the Apennine Mountains – essentially the heart of the Roman Empire.
To match the layers of sediments with specific years, Zonneveld used multiple clues inside the sediment cores. The key data came from volcanic glass in the sediments, which could be chemically traced to known eruptions. By analyzing the sediments spanning from 200 B.C. to A.D. 600, the researchers were able to reconstruct temperature and rainfall patterns during the Roman period.
The results showed a stable climate period between 200 and 100 B.C., followed by a series of short cold pulses. Between A.D. 160 and 180, there was a strong cold period that coincided with the Antonine Plague or the Plague of Galen. This pandemic was brought to the empire when Roman armies returned from western Asia and was caused by an unknown pathogen. Another cold period occurred between A.D. 245 and 275, which coincided with the Plague of Cyprian. The environmental record also suggests another cold snap after A.D. 500, coinciding with the Late Antique Little Ice Age, during which the first outbreak of bubonic plague hit western Eurasia.
“The correlation between times when Europe was suffering under major outbreaks of infectious diseases corresponding to phases of cold climate was striking,” said Zonneveld. The researchers speculate that there are several reasons for this correlation. Ecological changes during cold periods might make spillover of animal diseases to humans more likely. Additionally, in an agricultural society like ancient Rome, farmers may have struggled to produce enough crops in cold periods, leading to malnutrition and increased susceptibility to diseases.
While the topic is fascinating, there are questions about the certainty of the climate reconstruction, according to Ulf Büntgen, a professor of environmental systems analysis at the University of Cambridge. However, the researchers plan to further compare the data in the sediment core with other climate records and archaeological studies of the Roman heartland to gain better insight into the relationship between climate change and disease outbreaks.
This research not only provides valuable historical information about the impact of climate variation on ancient societies but also has implications for understanding the challenges we face today due to climate change. “Investigating the resilience of ancient societies to past climate change might give us better insight into these relationships and the climate change-induced challenges we are facing today,” said Zonneveld.
The study was published in the journal Science Advances and opens up new avenues for research into the complex interplay between climate and human health throughout history. By understanding how past civilizations coped with climate change and disease outbreaks, we can better prepare for the challenges that lie ahead.