31: Interview: Historian Kyle Harper on Disease, Climate and the Fall of the Roman Empire
Apr 3, 2018
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Kyle Harper, Professor of Classics at the University of Oklahoma, discusses the impact of climate change and disease on the fall of the Roman Empire. Topics include the decline in trade and resources, the role of paleoclimatic and genomic evidence, the relationship between waves of plague and archaeological genome data, and the vulnerability of the empire's trade system.
Climate change and emergent diseases played a critical role in the fall of the Roman Empire.
The sudden climate cooling and outbreak of the bubonic plague in the sixth century led to the ultimate fall of the Roman Empire.
Deep dives
Explaining the Fall of the Roman Empire
The podcast episode discusses the book 'The Fate of Rome' by Kyle Harper, which argues that the fall of the Roman Empire can be explained by the powerful role of the natural environment. Harper emphasizes the impact of climate change and the emergence of new diseases caused by unfamiliar bacteria and viruses. He suggests that these natural forces played a critical role in the demise of one of the most important political formations in pre-modern history. Harper also highlights the sixth century as a turning point when trade declined, population decreased, and climate and disease became the larger reasons for these shifts.
The Impact of Climate and Disease in the Sixth Century
The podcast explores the significance of the sixth century in understanding the fall of the Roman Empire. It explains that while the Western Empire had already dissolved by the fifth century, the Eastern Roman Empire experienced a period of renaissance under Justinian in the sixth century. However, this period was abruptly disrupted by sudden and violent climate cooling caused by volcanic eruptions, followed by the devastating outbreak of the first bubonic plague. These environmental crises reversed the successes of the Empire, leading to its ultimate fall.
Advancements in Genomic Data and Understanding the Justinianic Plague
The podcast highlights the recent advancements in genomic data and its contribution to understanding the Justinianic Plague. The host and Harper discuss how recent discoveries of the plague's genome have shed light on its impact and geographical reach. They note that while written records about the plague are limited, the genomic evidence has provided new insights, such as evidence of the plague's presence in small German villages. The discussion also mentions the importance of comparative analysis with the medieval Black Death and the potential for answering more questions about the Justinianic Plague in the future.
Resilience and Vulnerabilities of the Roman Empire
The episode delves into the resilience and vulnerabilities of the Roman Empire. Harper emphasizes that the Roman Empire was built on trade and movement of goods and people, making it susceptible to the spread of diseases and climatic shifts. While Roman society demonstrated resilience in coping with climatic variations, severe and repetitive shocks, such as droughts and outbreaks of diseases like plague, posed significant challenges. The combination of climate shocks, demographic shocks, and geopolitical challenges ultimately contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire.
How did a changing climate and plague play into the fall of the Roman Empire? I'm joined by Kyle Harper, Professor of Classics at the University of Oklahoma, to discuss his important new book The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire.
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