Which of the following policies would modern historians most directly blame for the spike in disease outbreak beginning with the Antonine Plague?

(A) Religious persecution of Christians and Jews (B) The cessation of Pax Romana (C) Diocletian’s division of the Roman Empire (D) Increased taxation on the urban classExplanation: Many of the plagues of the ancient world were brought to major cities by returning soldiers. As Pax Romana came to an end, Roman soldiers began fighting in far corners of the empire, coming into contact with diseases that would later spread through the cities. Therefore, the correct answer is (B).