A wide-ranging and dramatic account of the Antonine plague the mysterious disease that struck
the Roman Empire at its pinnacle In the middle of the second century AD Rome was at its
prosperous and powerful apex. The emperor Marcus Aurelius reigned over a vast territory that
stretched from Britain to Egypt. The Roman-made peace or Pax Romana seemed to be permanent.
Then apparently out of nowhere a sudden sickness struck the legions and laid waste to cities
including Rome itself. This fast-spreading disease now known as the Antonine plague may have
been history’s first pandemic. Soon after its arrival the Empire began its downward trajectory
toward decline and fall. In Pox Romana historian Colin Elliott offers a comprehensive
wide-ranging account of this pivotal moment in Roman history. Did a single disease—its origins
and diagnosis still a mystery—bring Rome to its knees? Carefully examining all the available
evidence Elliott shows that Rome’s problems were more insidious. Years before the pandemic
the thin veneer of Roman peace and prosperity had begun to crack: the economy was sluggish the
military found itself bogged down in the Balkans and the Middle East food insecurity led to
riots and mass migration and persecution of Christians intensified. The pandemic exposed the
crumbling foundations of a doomed Empire. Arguing that the disease was both cause and effect of
Rome’s fall Elliott describes the plague’s “preexisting conditions” (Rome’s multiple economic
social and environmental susceptibilities) recounts the history of the outbreak itself
through the experiences of physician victim and political operator and explores postpandemic
crises. The pandemic’s most transformative power Elliott suggests may have been its lingering
presence as a threat both real and perceived.
