By Neville Morley
The first detailed, quasi-scientific account of epidemic disease was offered by the Ancient Greek historian Thucydides, describing an outbreak of ‘plague’ (the identity of the disease is unknown) in Athens in 430 BCE. Thucydides’ description influenced many subsequent accounts; it is most interesting for his exploration of social and psychological responses to the epidemic, which may have wider contemporary relevance for understanding how humans respond to such conditions of fear and uncertainty.
