Final answer:
The Black Death spread from Eastern Asia to Europe predominantly through trade along the Silk Roads, where flea-infested rats traveled with merchant caravans. Notably, the siege of Caffa and subsequent escape of traders to Europe through sea routes accelerated its spread, resulting in massive fatalities and lasting societal changes.
Step-by-step explanation:
How did the Plague spread from Eastern Asia to Europe?
The Black Death, or bubonic plague, spread from Eastern Asia to Europe primarily through trade along the Silk Roads. This trade route was essential for the movement of goods, ideas, technology, and unfortunately, diseases from Central Asia to the Western world. It is through these interconnected trading paths that infected rodents, primarily rats carrying fleas, were able to travel along with merchant caravans. The fleas, which were the true vectors of the disease, would bite humans, transmitting the plague.
The pandemic began in the Yuan Empire and reached Europe by affecting a swath of regions along its path, including the Mongol territories and the Arabic world. A significant event was the siege of Caffa, where it's speculated that the Mongols used infected corpses as an early form of biological warfare against the Genoese city, catapulting plague-ridden bodies over the city walls. Surviving inhabitants of Caffa fled via merchant ships to ports such as Messina in Sicily, thereby spreading the plague throughout the continent.
Diseases like the plague were a disastrous side effect of the vibrant trade during the period, showing that alongside the many benefits of trade and cultural exchange came the spread of deadly illnesses. The plague would go on to kill an estimated 75 million people worldwide, with Europe losing about half of its population, leading to significant social, economic, and cultural changes.