What Were The 20 Deadliest Pandemics In History?
Antonina Plague (165-180): 5 Million Deaths
The further one goes back in time, the less precise are the details about diseases and their consequences. But there is more than enough historical evidence to know that the Antonine plague was devastating in its time. The infection broke out in the Roman Empire after the return of troops who had fought in the Middle East. The disease is believed to have been smallpox or measles, but there is no consensus among historians.
It is known as the Antonine plague by the name of the ruling dynasty in Rome at the time. In fact, there are indications that the emperor Lucio Vero, who ruled together with his adoptive brother Marco Aurelio, died in the year 169 victim of this evil. Current estimates put 5 million deaths, which would make it the seventh deadliest pandemic in history.
Justinian Plague (541-542): 30-50 Million Deaths
Emperor Justinian I also contracted the disease but survived. Estimates of between 30 and 50 million deaths as a result of the pandemic span the two centuries in which it re-emerged. That makes it the fourth-worst ever.
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