Plague devastates Athens from "summary" of The History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides
In the second year of the Peloponnesian War, a devastating plague struck the city of Athens. This plague, which originated in Ethiopia and passed through Egypt and Libya, arrived in Athens through the port of Piraeus. The crowded conditions within the city allowed the disease to spread rapidly among the inhabitants. The symptoms of the plague were severe and varied. People experienced intense heat in their heads, redness and inflammation in their eyes, sore throat and tongue, bad breath, and violent coughing. The disease also caused stomachaches, vomiting, and diarrhea. Many people died within seven or nine days of contracting the illness. The effects of the plague were felt throughout the city. The death toll was so high that the bodies of the deceased were left unburied in the streets, causing a sense of despair and hopelessness among the survivors. The lack of proper care for the sick and dead only served to exacerbate the spread o...
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