About this item
Plagues upon the Earth is a monumental history of humans and their germs. Weaving together a grand narrative of global history with insights from cutting-edge genetics, Kyle Harper explains why humanity's uniquely dangerous disease pool is rooted deep in our evolutionary past, and why its growth is accelerated by technological progress. He shows that the story of disease is entangled with the history of slavery, colonialism, and capitalism, and reveals the enduring effects of historical plagues in patterns of wealth, health, power, and inequality. He also tells the story of humanity's escape from infectious disease -- a triumph that makes life as we know it possible, yet destabilizes the environment and fosters new diseases.Panoramic in scope, Plagues upon the Earth traces the role of disease in the transition to farming, the spread of cities, the advance of transportation, and the stupendous increase in human population.
About the Author
Kyle Harper is a historian of the classical world at his alma mater, the University of Oklahoma. He graduated summa cum laude with a degree in Letters from OU and then received his Ph.D. in History from Harvard University in 2007. His first book was published by Cambridge University Press as Slavery in the Late Roman World, AD 275-425. The book was awarded the James Henry Breasted Prize by the American Historical Association and the Outstanding Publication Award from the Classical Association of the Middle West and South. His second book, From Shame to Sin: The Christian Transformation of Sexual Morality was published by Harvard University Press in 2013 and received the Award for Excellence in Historical Studies from the American Academy of Religion. Kyle's third book, The Fate of Rome: Climate, Disease, and the End of an Empire, appeared in 2017. The book argues that climate change and pandemic disease were integral to the fall of the Roman Empire. It has been translated into twelve languages. In October of 2021, his fourth book, Plagues upon the Earth: Disease and the Course of Human History, will appear. A committed teacher, Kyle offers a range of courses on ancient history and early Christianity. He blogs at kyleharper.net.
