Meet the Ancestors
Malaria and the Fall of Rome
S5 • E6 Feb 26, 2002 30m
Richards and the team visit an archaeological site where the bodies of 47 babies and children were recently excavated. The discovery that the youngsters died from malaria has given rise to the theory that the fall of one of history's greatest empires was in part due to an epidemic : so when a fleet of Roman cargo ships are discovered deliberately sunk in mysterious circumstances at a site in Sardinia, the experts arrive hoping to find conclusive evidence.
