The Plague of Athens: Investigating the Enigmatic Epidemic of Ancient Greece

The ancient Greek historian Thucydides described in his book "History of the Peloponnesian War" one of the earliest epidemics in known human history, the "Plague of Athens". The plague, which lasted from 430-426 B.C., had a death toll estimated at around 75,000 - 100,000. The importance of the plague was immense. Pericles, the historical leader of Athens, was among its victims, and his death was just the beginning of the fall of the Golden Age of Athens. The enormous death toll from the plague weakened Athens, leading to its eventual defeat in the war against Sparta. So far, the cause of this plague is unknown, but its symptoms are well described. Thucydides himself suffered from the plague, but fortunately, he survived. Many assumptions have been made about the disease responsible. In this article, the possible explanations will be discussed, hoping to shed light on that historical mystery. A metric system was created to help estimate the possibility of each of the 17 proposed diseases being the actual reason behind the deadly plague. Out of all the presented diseases, typhoid fever seems to fit most of the criteria, thus being considered the most possible causative agent. Other scenarios are also discussed.