This seminar will examine the concept of ‘plague’ from antiquity to the present using works of art and archaeological materials. The course will explore in particular the bioarchaeology of the Black Death, the Justinianic Plague, and other examples of infectious diseases with extremely high mortalities. We will also consider the differing impact of plagues during the medieval, early modern, and modern periods: themes in art; the development of hospitals; the meaning of the word ‘plague’ and questions of scapegoating throughout history; and changing ideas of disease and medicine.
