![]() One of the most often cited is that it was carried by infected rodents across the Silk Roads, reaching Europe along with infected merchants and travellers. A number of theories exist as to where the 14 th century plague originated and how exactly it spread. The outbreak peaked between 13 CE, reaching the trade ports of Europe by 1346. Three pandemics of plague have occurred in human history: the best-known and perhaps largest was the second outbreak often referred to as the “Black Death”, which infected vast numbers of people across Eurasia, and killed somewhere between 75 and 200 million. Plague is a disease caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, commonly carried by fleas. Among the different kinds of parasites, bacteria and viruses, and their associated diseases, that were transmitted along the Silk Roads, plague was one of the most notable. Just as global movement and connectedness is not a new phenomenon, neither is the potential for, and the occurrence of, epidemics. However, wherever people, animals and goods have moved and brought enriching effects, undesirable phenomena such as disease have also been transmitted on a broad scale. ![]() Science, arts and literature, as well as knowhow, crafts and technologies were shared and disseminated into societies along the lengths of these routes. The constant movement and mixing of populations along the Silk Roads had a profound impact on the history and civilizations of the peoples of Eurasia and indeed of people worldwide, driving the development of knowledge, ideas, beliefs, culture and identities. Now, as in the past, increasing human interconnectedness and movement presents challenges but also opportunities in numerous fields including science, medicine and epidemiology, and greatly adds to the improvement and richness of our daily lives. Interactions across vast distances, such as those which took place along these historic routes, have made an undeniable contribution to the enrichment of life and culture. The Silk Roads are an instructive reminder that human beings do not occupy isolated worlds but a shared and interdependent one that flourishes when they interact with one another. It examines ways in which people responded to the disease and looks at how we can respond to newly arising challenges today, utilizing the Silk Roads as an instructive example of the benefits of an interconnected world built on collaboration and timely and reliable knowledge sharing. This article explores the spread of plague, known as ‘the Black Death’, across the Silk Roads of the 14 th Century CE.
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