Fascinating theory by David Keys, an archaeology correspondent for the London daily paper, The Independent and a writer on historical climate change. His book Catastrophe: An Investigation into the Origins of the Modern World (2000) on a 6th-century AD climatic disaster has had a mixed reception and controversy from the experts. Still, a interesting idea reminiscent of the 1979 BBC show Connections with James Burke. In a nutshell:
Historically ill-tempered volcano Krakatoa blows up and the resulting ash thrown into the atmosphere creates the worst climate change event on the planet in eons. This, as the show explains, sets up conditions for the bubonic plague to take hold in fleas who begin to feed on human hosts, beginning in Africa. Meanwhile, in Rome, the elite are absolutely infatuated with anything made of ivory. Tons are shipped out and this trade route, you guessed it, passes through the Plague infection area which finally terminates in Constantinople. Thousands perish and people flee (v bad pun!) and the Plague spreads to Rome (the Plague of Justinian) and beyond to the rest of Europe.
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