Pandemics
This year the History Interest Group has been looking at Pandemics. Two references that may interest those who observe the 2020-21 pandemic and people’s responses. People’s responses in earlier ones are given below. It seems human nature hasn’t changed.

• Plague of Athens 429 -426 BC
The primary source of information for this plague was historian Thucydides
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1535/thucydides-on-the-plague-of-athens-text–commentar/

• The Black Plague 1348
The Black Plague ravaged the city of Florence in 1348. The author Boccaccio wrote the ‘The Decameron’, and in the introduction to the first day of ‘The Decameron’ represents an important historical account of the devastation of the city and the chaos that ensued. . While accounts vary, it is estimated that the plague claimed the lives of 40,000-60,000 of the city’s inhabitants (about half of the total population of the city), including Boccaccio’s father, stepmother, and many of his close friends.
A translation of that introduction is given in the links:
https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Italian_Studies/dweb/texts/DecShowText.php?myID=d01intro&expand=empty&lang=eng

https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/decameronintro.asp

The main characters in the ‘The Decameron’ leave Florence to escape the plague, and retire to a country estate, not un-similar to those who fled Auckland in our lockdowns.


Favourite Blog
One member shared that his favourite blog on history is:
http://www.thehistoryblog.com

The blogger posts daily on what has caught her attention. Her blogs have links to the original source of her information and at times, to previous blogs.
When you open the site she has a column on the left.
The first section is ‘Navigation’ and the first item on the list, ‘It’s a blog. About history’ gives her reasons for the blog.
The second section ‘Archives’ allows you to search past blogs.
The third section ‘Other’ has a long list of other sites.