Plague in Athens during Peloponnesian War from "summary" of The Histories by Herodotus
In the second year of the Peloponnesian War, a deadly plague swept through the city of Athens. This plague, which originated in Ethiopia, was unlike any other that the people had ever seen before. It began in the Piraeus, the port of Athens, and quickly spread to the city itself. The symptoms of the disease were severe and debilitating, causing a high fever, inflammation, and violent coughing. The people of Athens were unprepared for such a devastating outbreak and were at a loss for how to combat it. The city's overcrowded and unsanitary conditions only served to exacerbate the spread of the disease. The streets were filled with the sick and dying, and funeral pyres burned day and night to dispose of the bodies. As the death toll continued to rise, fear and panic gripped the city. People avoided each other, both out of fear of contracting the disease and out of a lack of compassion for their fellow citizens. The temples and sanctuaries, usually places of solace and refuge, were abandoned as people turned away from the gods in their desperation. The plague did not discriminate based o...
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