About this episode
In the 6th century, the Roman Empire was split and its future hung in the balance. Emperor Justinian dreamed of restoring it to its former glory. That was until the first great plague devastated Constantinople. Thousands died, bodies were piled in the streets - even the Emperor fell ill. How did this effect ambitions to restore the Empire to its former glory? And how did citizens react to this deadly disease? Joining Anthony and Maddy is Kyle Harper, historian and author of The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease. Edited by Tim Arstall. Produced by Stuart Beckwith. Senior Producer is Charlotte Long. Please vote for us for Listeners' Choice at the British Podcast Awards! Follow this link , and don’t forget to confirm the email. Thank you! You can now watch After Dark on Youtube! www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhistoryhit Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe . You can take part in our listener survey here . All music from Epidemic Sounds. After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.