The Plague of AthensThe Athenian Plague was an epidemic that began in the summer of 430 BC in Athens, one year after the Peloponnesian War in 431 BC. The plague was supposed to be the result of excess numbers of Athenians within the city walls, also known as the long walls: a military strategy of Pericles that consisted of building walls that connected the city to its port. The surplus of Athenians led to a shortage of food, water, the absence of sewage systems and other major factors are said to have caused the plague. It first appeared in southern Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya and later in the Persian Empire and Rome before arriving in Athens. The disease struck the population of Piraeus and then reached Athens where the number of victims was higher. The plague returned in 429, where it caused the greatest number of victims, and later, in the winter of 427/426 BC, where it caused the most victims. From man to woman, from rich to poor, from old to young, everyone in the Athenian population was affected by the disease. As will become evident, the Athenian Plague devastated Athens and this made recovery more difficult, as it caused the failure of its social order, weakened the Athenian government and the Athenian army. For starters, the plague killed an estimated 30,000 Athenians – out of a population of 100,000 – representing 25% of the population. As a result of the mass deaths, conventional Athenian society changed. It led to the failure of the social order in Athens. This idea of ​​“living in the moment” became the motto of many Athenians. As a result, traditional moral laws such as the obligation of families to care for the sick, funerary and religious rites were not so......middle of paper......in fact, the Athenians – already demographically disadvantaged — lost approximately 4,400 hoplites and 300 Calvary men to the plague. This means that they lost some of their forces available for battle, which was a great loss for Athens. They also lost many more men due to the ongoing Peloponnesian War. For example, the Athenian army, being a powerful naval polis, started with about 150 triremes, hoplites and knights to attack the Peloponnesian states. The Athenians were forced to retreat because they had lost many men. It illustrates how events such as the plague had consequences – not really proven by historians – on how the rest of the war was fought. Even if they then won the Sicilian expedition - 415 BC - they managed to do so only because they acquired a certain "strength" a few years after the plague. .