Measles and Ancient Plagues: A Note on New Scientific Evidence

A number of diseases are frequently cited as possible causes for the plagues of antiquity. Amongst these, measles is often mentioned. However, recent scientific advances based on studies of the molecular clock of the virus have shown that measles is too “young” in evolutionary terms to have been the cause of either the Athenian Plague or the Antonine Plague. This paper draws scholars’ attention to the implications of this discovery and its broader consequences for our approach to diagnosing ancient plagues.