A Plague in a Crisis: Differential Diagnosis of the Cyprian Plague and its Effects on the Roman Empire in the Third Century CE

Abstract

The Cyprian Plague, named after Saint Cyprian of Carthage, occurred between 251-270 CE, adding stress to an already tumultuous time. The Roman Empire was in the middle of what is called the “Crisis of the Third Century,” a time when emperors were quickly moving into and out of power while the value of Roman currency plummeted. It is of little doubt that this epidemic greatly impacted the empire, but what the disease, or diseases, causing it and what their effect truly was has yet to be discovered. This thesis uses a differential diagnostic approached modeled from Littman and Littman’s 1973 symptomatic diagnosis of the Antonine Plague from Galen’s medical texts to diagnosis the Cyprian Plague as a viral hemorrhagic fever caused disease similar to Ebola virus disease. By compiling the evidences of the plague and comparing possible effects on the Roman Empire to those experienced in the modern 2013-2016 Ebola Virus disease outbreak, this thesis contributes to the discussion of Rome’s chaotic third century by predicting some of the effects of the Cyprian Plague.