During the 14th century, Europe faced one of the worst tragedies of its time. A mysterious plague has claimed millions of lives, cutting Europe's population in half. Historians today call this catastrophe the Black Death. Many people know little about the Black Death, but to understand its important role in history one must know its early origins, rapid spread, painful symptoms, and devastating effects. The Black Death began to rage in 1347, but it is difficult to know exactly where and how it originated (Dunn 12). Even today, there are different theories about how the plague became so violent. However, the history leading up to the plague outbreak provides clues to the origin of the Black Death. First of all, the plague of the 14th century may not have been entirely new (Zahler 28). Even in biblical times, the plague could have already been present. The Bible speaks of cases where people suffered from boils on their bodies. In Exodus, God sends a plague of boils to the Egyptians to punish the stubborn Pharaoh who keeps the Israelites in slavery. Evidence of this scourge has even been found in ancient Egypt. An archaeologist found an Egyptian medical text dating from 1500 BC, called Papyrus Ebers, describing an illness with symptoms of boils, which modern scientists believe to be the plague (Zahler 28). Later in the Old Testament, the first book of Samuel also mentions a sore that the Philistines had where boils covered their bodies (Zahler 28). These boils mentioned were probably identical to buboes, one of the apparent symptoms of the Black Death. Further in history, in the year 541 AD, the first recorded plague pandemic occurred (Zahler 29). During this period, the Byzantine Empire... middle of paper ...... usually occurs within forty-eight hours of symptoms (Zahler 27). An Italian friar who experienced the plague, Michele da Piazza, described what is believed to have been a pneumonic plague: Works Cited by Byrne, Joseph. The Black Death. 1st ed. Westport: Greenwood Press, 2004. 1-123. Print.Docufans. “Turning Points in History – 1347 AD The Black Death.” Video clip online. YouTube. YouTube, June 23, 2011. Web. April 29, 2014. Dunn, John. Life during the Black Death. 1st ed. San Diego: Lucent Books, 2000. 1-96. Print."Feodosia". Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2014. Web. April 25, 2014 Herlihy, David. The Black Death and the Transformation of the West. 1st ed. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997. 1-121. Print.Zahler, Diane. The Black Death. 1st ed. Minneapolis: 21st Century Books, 2009. 1-149. Print.