The Global Spread of Black Death

Climate, Rodents and Humans: the Global Spread of the Black Death, 1338-1353

The Black Death was one of the most devastating - perhaps the single most devastating - mortality crises in human history, but its global spread remains poorly understood. In this talk, Professor Philip Slavin re-examines the pandemic’s first wave, from 1338 to 1353, by bringing together historical evidence, palaeogenetics, archaeological, and palaeo-ecological perspectives.

Rather than treating the plague as a simple east-to-west invasion, Prof Slavin investigates the complex interactions between its causative agent Yersinia pestis, rodent populations, climate, and human mobility.

By tracing plague trajectories from Central Asia through the Middle East and into Europe, the talk will identify the mechanisms underlying the pandemic’s extraordinary geographical reach.