Ancient History Fangirl

RE-RELEASE: Buzzballs and Buboes: The Plague of Justinian (a Drunk Deep Dive)

Ancient History Fangirl

Show Notes

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! ⁠⁠⁠

This is an episode about a plague that killed up to 100 million people by the time it was done—as many as 60% of its victims. It’s the first documented occurrence of a pandemic that we have, and it’s the first documented outbreak of the deadlyYersinia pestis. No, we're not talking about the Black Death of Medieval Europe. We're talking about the Plague of Justinian.

The Plague of Justinian was just one part of the fallout of the global volcanic eruption of 536 AD. Three eyewitness accounts have survived--and, in the grand tradition of this podcast, we decided to read them to you whilst Yule-level drunk. Buckle up. It is a wild, plague-tastic ride.

Sponsors and Advertising

This episode was brought to you by Vinted. Download the Vinted app for free, sell clothes you no longer wear, and keep everything you earn.

This podcast is a member of Airwave Media podcast network. Want to advertise on our show? Please direct advertising inquiries to [email protected]. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More from Ancient History Fangirl

Oct 22, 2026

⁠⁠⁠⁠Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! ⁠

Oct 20, 2026

⁠Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! ⁠

Oct 15, 2026

⁠Sign up to our Patreon to get the exclusive video version of this episode!

Oct 8, 2026

⁠⁠⁠⁠Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon!

Oct 6, 2026

Help keep our podcast going by contributing to our Patreon! ⁠

See all episodes →