The sixth-century C.E. Plague of Justinian was “a pestilence, by which the whole human race came near to being annihilated,” according to the Byzantine historian Procopius. Up to half the population ...

Three pandemics in the Roman Empire coincided with abnormally cold and dry periods, suggesting that natural changes in climate may have contributed to Rome’s decline. The uncomfortable reality of life ...

For those who enjoy pondering the Roman Empire’s rise and fall — you know who you are — consider the close link between ancient climate change and infectious disease outbreaks. Periods of increasingly ...

Researchers studied climate fluctuations in Roman Italy between 200 B.C.E. and 600 C.E. Edoardo Fornaciari / Getty Images More than 2,000 years ago, climate change may have played a role in deadly ...