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

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.

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 5Modeling 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 Plal3P