"From here (Egypt) it spread to the entirety of the world, always moving along and advancing at set intervals. For it seemed to move as if by prearranged plan: it would linger for a set time in each place, just enough to make sure that no person could
brush it off as a slight matter, and from there it would disperse in different directions as far as the ends of the inhabited
world, almost as if it feared that any hidden corner of the earth might escape it... This disease always spread out from the
coasts and worked its way up into the interior.
- Procopius describing the Plague of Justinian that occurred from 541-542 C. E. (excerpt from the History of the Wars)
What impact did the plague described in the passage have on Byzantine society?
A)
led to the fall of the Byzantine empire
B)
led to increased reliance on trade routes
C)
led to increased political strength of imperial rule
D)
led to decreased urbanization and political instability