Assignment 2/ World Civilization

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A recent study argues that it was not drought but rather wet spring followed by warm summer weather conditions that allowed for an explosion of the gerbil population which spread the disease.

We show that wherever there were good conditions for gerbils and fleas in central Asia, some years later the bacteria shows up in harbour cities in Europe and then spreads across the continent," Prof Stenseth said. He said that a wet spring followed by a warm summer would cause gerbil numbers to boom. "Such conditions are good for gerbils. It means a high gerbil population across huge areas and that is good for the plague," he added. The fleas, which also do well in these conditions, would then jump to domestic animals or to humans. And because this was a period when trade between the East and West was at a peak, the plague was most likely brought to Europe along the silk road, Prof Stenseth explained.

('Gerbils replace rats' as main cause of Black Death’ By Rebecca Morelle Science Correspondent, BBC News, 23 February 2015)

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Flagellants sought to punish themselves to atone for their sins and the sins of mankind in the hope of appeasing God and sparing them from the plague. They would basically whip and scourge themselves. Many travelled the land in their quest for atonement and deliverance form the plague.

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