430 B.C.
A disease epidemic strikes Athens, the ancient Greek citystate that was then fighting the Peloponnesian War against Sparta and its allies. The plague greatly weakens the Athenian army and brings about the city's permanent decline.
ca. 500600
The Byzantine Empire suffers "Justinian's Plague," and the empire's rapid expansion comes to a halt.
1331
An epidemic of plague strikes central Asia.
1340s
The plague spreads westward along caravan routes linking central Asia with the Black Sea. At this time, the lands north of the Black Sea are controlled by the Tatars, who begin dying of plague in large numbers.
1345
The Tatars begin a siege of Kaffa, a port city on the Black Sea controlled by the Italian republic of Genoa.
1347
The plague reaches Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine Empire. In October, Genoese merchant ships bring the plague from Kaffa to Messina, a port in.....
