010 PLAGUE OF JUSTINIAN 541 542 AD, BACTERIUM YERSINIA PESTIS, BLACK DEATH, ASIA, BYZANTINE EMPIRE

The Justinian Plague, also known as the, was a deadly epidemic that swept through the Byzantine Empire during the reign of the Emperor Justinian I in 541-542 AD. The disease is believed to have been caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, the same bacterium that causes bubonic and pneumonic plague. The Justinian Plague is estimated to have killed between 25-50 million people, with some historians suggesting that the death toll may have been as high as 100 million. The disease originated in Egypt and quickly spread throughout the Mediterranean world, reaching as far as China and Japan. The symptoms of the Justinian Plague were similar to those of the Black Death, with fever, chills, and the appearance of painful, pus-filled buboes on the body. The disease was highly contagious and could be transmitted through fleas that infested rats, as well as through contact with infected individuals. The impact of the Justinian Plague on the Byzantine Empire was devastating. The disease decimated the population,