Les crises épizootiques en France de l’Antiquité à la période moderne

Abstract

If past human mortality crises have long been documented by historians and archaeologists, it is only recently that their animal conterparts, epizootic diseases, have attracted similar interest. Animal mass mortalities have nonetheless had a major and underestimated impact on pre-industrial European societies. Recent events have brought to light the zoonotic risk of animal pathogens for humans. But beyond this risk of direct transmission, epizootic outbreaks had major societal impacts in ancient agro-pastoral societies: domestic livestock provided food, clothing, and the labor force necessary for agricultural production. Indeed, dependence on these animals was such that any mortality crisis could have severe health, economic and social repercussions. This article aims therefore to provide a quick overview of these still little-known crises. Through the use of both written and material sources, we review the presentation, chronology and origins of epizootic crises in France and North-West Europe since Antiquity. We then explore the impacts of these outbreaks on human societies and how the latter deal with them. Our results help document the history of animal diseases, and contribute to the characterization of archaeological deposits resulting from these important but underdocumented crises.