Malaria and Rome: A History of Malaria in Ancient Italy

Malaria and Rome explores the evolution and ecology of malaria, its medical and demographic effects on human populations in antiquity, its social and economic effects, the human responses to it, and the human interpretations of it. It argues that malaria became increasingly prevalent in Roman times.
A comprehensive study of malaria in ancient Italy, continuing the research of the Italian malariologist Angelo Celli in the early 20th century. It demonstrates the importance of disease patterns and history in understanding the demography of ancient populations. Robert Sallares argues that malaria became increasingly prevalent in Roman times in central Italy as a result of ecological change and alterations to the physical landscape such as deforestation. Making full use of contemporary sources and comparative material from other periods, he shows that malaria had a significant effect on mortality rates in certain regions of Roman Italy. Robert Sallares incorporates all the important advances made in many relevant fields since Celli's time.