Did climate drive ancient plagues?

A recent study published in Science Advances suggests that climate change may have played a role in three pandemics that occurred during the Roman Empire. Researchers found that periods of colder temperatures and decreased rainfall coincided with outbreaks of infectious diseases. While the exact reasons for this association are not fully understood, the findings indicate that climate stress may have contributed to the severity and spread of these diseases. However, other factors such as trade networks and densely populated settlements may have also played a role. The study used fossilized dinoflagellates to reconstruct ancient climate conditions, revealing that the Roman Warm Period was followed by colder and drier phases that coincided with the pandemics. The researchers note that the impact of these outbreaks on the fall of the Roman Empire is unclear. [Extracted from the article]