A single 14th-century rhyming poem, mistakenly believed to be a historical fact, has misled scientists and historians for 700 years about how the Black Death spread across Asia. This discovery now frees researchers to investigate earlier plague outbreaks and rewrite the pandemic’s timeline.
The writings could also help researchers understand how creativity may have served as a way to exercise control and a coping mechanism during this time of widespread death, similar to the way people developed new culinary and artistic skills during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The writings could also help researchers understand how creativity may have served as a way to exercise control and a coping mechanism during this time of widespread death, similar to the way people developed new culinary and artistic skills during the COVID-19 pandemic.