Professor Kyle Harper

There's several variables that account for that. The most fundamental one is that they don't have modern science. So we are lucky to benefit from modern science, which helps us understand the body, helps us understand the infectious cause of infectious diseases, helps us develop things like vaccines, hygiene, water treatment, antibiotics, other pharmaceuticals. None of those are available.

There's several variables that account for that. The most fundamental one is that they don't have modern science. So we are lucky to benefit from modern science, which helps us understand the body, helps us understand the infectious cause of infectious diseases, helps us develop things like vaccines, hygiene, water treatment, antibiotics, other pharmaceuticals. None of those are available.

in the Roman world. And consequently, most people, even in a good year, most people die of infectious causes. So they die of, frankly, of diarrhea. Probably the largest category of infectious disease in the pre-modern world is probably diarrhea. I'm not talking about a tummy ache. I'm talking about dysentery, like

in the Roman world. And consequently, most people, even in a good year, most people die of infectious causes. So they die of, frankly, of diarrhea. Probably the largest category of infectious disease in the pre-modern world is probably diarrhea. I'm not talking about a tummy ache. I'm talking about dysentery, like

in the Roman world. And consequently, most people, even in a good year, most people die of infectious causes. So they die of, frankly, of diarrhea. Probably the largest category of infectious disease in the pre-modern world is probably diarrhea. I'm not talking about a tummy ache. I'm talking about dysentery, like

We take for granted a world where you can drink a cup of water and not think twice about whether you're putting your life in danger. But that's really recent. We have water treatment. We know to keep human waste matter and contamination apart from the drinking supply. But in pre-modern contexts, they didn't have germ theory.

We take for granted a world where you can drink a cup of water and not think twice about whether you're putting your life in danger. But that's really recent. We have water treatment. We know to keep human waste matter and contamination apart from the drinking supply. But in pre-modern contexts, they didn't have germ theory.

We take for granted a world where you can drink a cup of water and not think twice about whether you're putting your life in danger. But that's really recent. We have water treatment. We know to keep human waste matter and contamination apart from the drinking supply. But in pre-modern contexts, they didn't have germ theory.

They thought of disease as a miasma, and they were constantly threatened by infectious pathogens that cause dysentery, infectious diseases that cause respiratory illness, and so on.

They thought of disease as a miasma, and they were constantly threatened by infectious pathogens that cause dysentery, infectious diseases that cause respiratory illness, and so on.

They thought of disease as a miasma, and they were constantly threatened by infectious pathogens that cause dysentery, infectious diseases that cause respiratory illness, and so on.

It's a good question. And I think we don't have a totally clear answer to that. An epidemic is one of these things. It's a scientific term. It actually is just a rough and ready term. There's no like minimum number of people that have to die to make it an epidemic. It just kind of means an outbreak of disease in a population.

It's a good question. And I think we don't have a totally clear answer to that. An epidemic is one of these things. It's a scientific term. It actually is just a rough and ready term. There's no like minimum number of people that have to die to make it an epidemic. It just kind of means an outbreak of disease in a population.

It's a good question. And I think we don't have a totally clear answer to that. An epidemic is one of these things. It's a scientific term. It actually is just a rough and ready term. There's no like minimum number of people that have to die to make it an epidemic. It just kind of means an outbreak of disease in a population.

And in ancient Rome, you know, one out of every 10 years must have really stood out, right? We're just conditions aligned. There's a bad harvest and there's a bad strain of something. So epidemics are really bad years, but even epidemics are kind of normal. A pandemic is something else. It's where you have a really big interregional outbreak of disease. So people are dying in Alexandria.

And in ancient Rome, you know, one out of every 10 years must have really stood out, right? We're just conditions aligned. There's a bad harvest and there's a bad strain of something. So epidemics are really bad years, but even epidemics are kind of normal. A pandemic is something else. It's where you have a really big interregional outbreak of disease. So people are dying in Alexandria.

And in ancient Rome, you know, one out of every 10 years must have really stood out, right? We're just conditions aligned. There's a bad harvest and there's a bad strain of something. So epidemics are really bad years, but even epidemics are kind of normal. A pandemic is something else. It's where you have a really big interregional outbreak of disease. So people are dying in Alexandria.

People are dying in Rome. People are dying in Athens. all at the same time. And those seem to have a kind of big bad cause behind them. So most of the pandemics that we can understand historically are a sort of fateful alignment of really bad conditions.

People are dying in Rome. People are dying in Athens. all at the same time. And those seem to have a kind of big bad cause behind them. So most of the pandemics that we can understand historically are a sort of fateful alignment of really bad conditions.

People are dying in Rome. People are dying in Athens. all at the same time. And those seem to have a kind of big bad cause behind them. So most of the pandemics that we can understand historically are a sort of fateful alignment of really bad conditions.