Epidemics are something that humans have been battling throughout our history, and that isn’t likely to change soon. One of the first medical pandemics ever documented was the Plague of Athens, which took place from 430 to 426 BCE.

Greek historian Thucydides described this plague in a book called History of the Peloponnesian War, which is where modern scholars get most of the information available.

He wrote that between 75,000 and 100,000 people died during this event, and many historians mark it as a leading contributor to the end of the Golden Age of Athens.

The cause of the plague was largely unknown, but a new study on the topic was published in the journal Acta Medico-Historica Adriatica that has narrowed down the list of possibilities.

The researchers took a look at the symptoms that were documented, which include foul breath, gangrene, severe diarrhea, high fever, rash, and gastrointestinal complications. This, combined with severe amnesia in some people who survived, gave the researchers quite a bit to work with.

Typhoid fever matches 9 of the 12 known symptoms closely, which makes it a leading contender. On top of that, DNA from bodies in a graveyard known to have been used for victims of the plague was found to have the virus that causes Typhoid.

This disease, however, is not transmitted person-to-person, which does make it less likely. Measles and meningococcal disease both match 8 of the 12 symptoms, and they can spread between people.

Another theory that the researchers say is possible is that it was actually two diseases that happened to overlap. For example, smallpox plus cholera may explain what happened.

Of course, it is also possible that the plague was caused by a disease that has since gone extinct, in which case it is unlikely that researchers would ever be able to figure it out.

So, while the study does not conclusively prove what caused the Plague of Athens, it certainly helps to narrow down the possibilities.

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