bubonic plague

For over six centuries, historians have believed a compelling narrative about how the Black Death swept rapidly across Asia along the Silk Road before devastating Europe and the Middle East in the mid-14th century. Now, new research from the University of Exeter has revealed that this entire understanding stems from a fundamental misinterpretation of a single medieval Arabic literary tale - a rhyming story that was never meant to be taken as historical fact. The discovery challenges long-held assumptions about plague transmission and demonstrates how a creative work can shape scientific understanding for centuries. The revelation centers on a text called a "maqāma" - an Arabic literary genre featuring traveling tricksters - written by the poet and historian Ibn al-Wardi