The Plague of Athens was an epidemic that devastated the city-state of Athens in ancient Greece during the second year of the Peloponnesian War when an Athenian victory still seemed within reach. The plague killed an estimated 75,000 to 100,000 people, around 25% of the population, and is believed to have entered Athens through Piraeus, the city's port and sole source of food and supplies. Much of the eastern Mediterranean also saw an outbreak of the disease, albeit with less impact.
Plague in an Ancient City, Michiel Sweerts, c. 1652–1654
Α reconstructed appearance of Myrtis, an 11-year-old girl who died during the plague of Athens and whose skeleton was found in the Kerameikos mass grave, National Archaeological Museum of Athens
Pericles witnessing the death of his son due to the Plague of Athens by François Chifflart
Piraeus is a port city within the Athens urban area, in the Attica region of Greece. It is located eight kilometres (5 mi) southwest of Athens' city centre along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf in the Athens Riviera.
Funerary relief for a girl, flanked by her parents (330/320 BC); Archaeological Museum of Piraeus.
The Long Walls connecting the ancient city of Athens to its port of Piraeus.
Colossal statue of Hadrian of Piraeus.