History may not repeat itself, but it often rhymes - Mark Twain
The worlds a mess, a big fucking mess. That’s something I’m sure all of opposing minds can agree on, I’d like to think anyway.
In a few decades we’ll more than likely look back on 2020 and the subsequent years and declare them as our worst years to date.
Well, it turns out these days aren’t that bad, in comparison to the year 536 anyway.
536 AD was a bigger mess, I mean, the Middle Ages seemed pretty rough as it is looking back, but this one particular year tops the charts.
The Fog
Procopius, a Byzantine historian, accompanied the Roman General Belisarius during Emperor Justinians wars. Following him through many of his accomplishments.
Procopius became the most well known historian of the 6th Century, publishing many writings on Belisarius and his heroic victories after witnessing them first hand.
In his writings, Procopius described a rare phenomenon during 536 AD -
‘The Sun gave forth its light without brightness like the moon during this whole year, and it seemed exceedingly like the sun in eclipse, for the beams it shed were not clear, nor such as it is accustomed to shed.’
Michael the Syrian, a Byzantine Scribe, also documented a heavy fog throughout the entire year of 536.
‘The Sun became dark and it’s darkness lasted for 18 months’
- We live in a time with a scientific understanding to most things, imagine the chaos they endured given the religious beliefs of the time. An apocalyptic haze, sent from god.
Scientists proved the claims of Procopius, Michael and peers by studying the cross section of tree rings, deducting there to be almost no growth around 536 AD, suggesting that the descending fog did in fact occur.
The Famine
As you’d imagine, no sunlight for so long would cause a lot of fucking issues.
No direct sunlight and extremely low temperatures for over a year meant almost no crops could grow, ultimately leading to a widespread famine all over the world.
Temperatures around the world averaged 2 Degrees Celsius (35.6 Fahrenheit)
The Plague
If no sun or food wasn’t rough enough, the world hosted a nasty plague throughout the year, targeting every Vitamin D deprived human.
Starting with a sore on the palm of the hand. The symptoms progressed to the point of victims not being able to move, and eventually passing. - Makes Covid seem like a papercut.
The plague caused the streets to fill with dead and make a big old fucking mess.
Emperor Justinian of the Byzantine Empire, ordered all bodies to be removed from the city and thrown in the ocean, but this just exposed more people to the disease and the domino effect ensued.
The Plague of Justinian killed between 30 - 50 million, around half the worlds population at the time. Spreading across Asia, North Africa, Arabia & Europe.
- Yeah, they named the plague after him. Nice one Justin.
Summer Snow
In China, the climate descended into madness. A 6th Century chronicle named Nan Shi wrote of a ‘Yellow ash-like substance falling from the sky’.
There were reports of frost in mid summer and snow in August. Crops were destroyed and the country was sent into a deadly famine that lasted for 2 years, killing roughly 80% of the population.
Volcanic Eruptions
After testing sheets of ice in Iceland & Greenland, researchers found evidence to suggest that a major volcanic event occurred around 536 AD.
It’s also believed that another major volcano erupted in El Salvador in the same year, based on traces of tropical volcanic ash discovered years later.
Both eruptions combined started what is now known as the Late Antique Little Ice Age, of which cooled the planet for over a decade. Killing millions of crops and humans alike.
Fall of the Roman Empire
By the 6th Century, the Roman Empires glory days were more than over as it migrated east to Constantinople. Led by our mate Justinian, he tried to restore the Empire to its former glory.
Although he saw victories all throughout his reign with Belisarius and his peers, the Empire struggled with an endless supply of uprisings due to the unhappy populace.
The Byzantine empire could never fully recover from the continuous famine and disease of 536, losing around 55% of their total population by 541 AD.
Some Historians believe that the year 536 may have sealed the fate of the Roman Empire.
Michael McCormick, a Harvard Historian, studied the year 536 with a group of Scholars trying to decipher just how bad of a year it was.
Well, it wasn’t his original goal. The original plan was to research metal usage in coinage during the 7th Century. - They stumbled across this I guess.
Their findings included the analysis of volcanic fragments from the Icelandic volcano & Ice core samples in Swiss Glaciers, both dating to 536 AD. Thus confirming the events that saw most of the northern hemisphere thrown into darkness.
When you think about it, we’re all descendants of people who survived that year. Crazy to think.
2020 doesn’t sound so bad anymore.
- M.
On This Day -
1659 - First known cheque written (£400), now on display at Westminster Abbey.
1923 - Howard Carter opens the inner burial chamber of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun’s tomb and finds the sarcophagus.
1968 - Beatles George Harrison, John Lennon and their wives fly to India for transcendental meditation study with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.