Volcanic eruptions set off a chain of events that brought Black Death to Europe
5 days ago
- #volcanic eruptions
- #Black Death
- #climate change
- Volcanic eruptions in the mid-14th century led to a drop in temperatures and crop failures in the Mediterranean.
- Italian city-states traded grain from the Black Sea to avoid famine, inadvertently bringing the Black Death to Europe.
- The Black Death, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, killed millions in Europe between 1347 and 1353.
- Tree rings and historical documents provide evidence linking climate change, agriculture, and trade to the pandemic's onset.
- The study highlights the role of climate and societal factors in the spread of the Black Death and its lessons for modern pandemics.