试析古代晚期东地中海城市频发鼠疫的原因

An Analysis of the Causes of Frequent Outbreaks of Plaguein the Eastern Mediterranean Cities in Late Antiquity

541年,鼠疫在东地中海地区爆发,并迅速席卷东地中海世界绝大部分地区。鼠疫的首次爆发及之后的多次复发,对君士坦丁堡、安条克、亚历山大里亚等东部地中海城市造成严重影响。东地中海城市在古代晚期多次大规模爆发疫情,与鼠疫传染性极强且传播途径广泛这一客观因素有直接关系。不仅如此,城市在东地中海世界的行政、经济和军事体系中的重要地位,以及城市普遍存在的人口规模庞大、居住环境拥挤且与外界交流频繁等特征,是其难以逃离鼠疫感染圈的重要原因。此外,这一时期的科技水平和医疗条件限制了人们对鼠疫认知和治疗的科学性,从而导致东地中海世界的城市屡次受到疫情的重击。在疫情频发的影响下,东地中海城市显现出衰落与转型并存的发展趋势。

In the year of 541,the plaguebroke out in the Eastern Mediterranean area and quickly swept over the vast majority of the Eastern Mediterranean world.The first outbreakof plagueand its subsequent recurrences caused serious impact on the Eastern Mediterranean cities,such as Constantinople,Antioch and Alexandria.Many large-scale outbreaks in the Eastern Mediterranean cities in Late Antiquity were directly related to the objective factor that plague was highly infectious and spread widely.Moreover,cities,which played an important role in the administrative,economic and military systems of the Eastern Mediterranean world,had a large population,crowded living environment and frequent exchanges with the outside world.This was the significant factor why cities weredifficult to escape from the plague infection circle.In addition,the level of science and technology and medical conditions during this period limited the proper understanding and treatment of the plague.As a result,the Eastern Mediterranean cities wererepeatedly thumped by the epidemic.Under the influence of frequent outbreaks of the epidemic,the Eastern Mediterranean cities had showed a trend of obvious decline and transformation.