The End of the Romans

Is history repeating Itself? Follow an in-depth investigation into the real causes of the decline of the Roman Empire. Three deadly epidemics and climate change could have caused its collapse — drawing frightening parallels to today.

Scientists analyze DNA from tooth samples collected from dig sites across Europe, dating to the Late Roman Empire, and identify <i>Yersinia pestis</i> – the bacteria that causes the Black Plague. Gradually they map where they’re finding plague, noting that, based on the succession of waves of illness, the epidemic lasted roughly a century.