Sources of Death

Our class learned about The Black Death through many sources. We used an interactive map, watched two videos and examined two different article. Throughout our lesson we were trying to find the best sources for the truth about the Black Death.

The Florentine Chronicle is a passage written about what happened to the Florentine and it's people when Black Death came open them. It was written in the late 1370's to the early 1380's by Coppola di Stefano Buonaiuti. Coppola di Stefano Buonaiuti was born in 1336 and lived in Florence when the Black Death struck. This source is believable because in the article it states "as was said" which means what was written he heard from other people as well as experiencing for himself. This source is not believable because Coppola di Stefano Buonaiuti was only two when the black death was around. Most people can't remember anything from when they were two and if Coppola did his memories could have been altered by other people because he wrote the passage many years after the Black Death had occurred.  

The Decameron is a passage about the Black Death and what had happened. The Decameron was written by Boccaccio in 1351.Boccaccio was ten at the time of the Black Death. This source is believable because Boccaccio actually lived through the Black Death in Florence and was able to experience it himself making him a primary source. This article is not believable because it is a piece of fiction. This makes it less believable because fiction does not have to include real facts and it can be changed to make the article more interesting.

In my opinion the Florentine Chronicle is a more believable source. I think the Florentine Chronicle is more believable because even through Coppola di Stefano Buonaiuti  was only two at the time is memories may be mixed with other stories that people who can actually remember the Black Death told him. The Decameron is fiction which means all of it could be made up while the Florentine Chronicle includes actually facts and thoughts of the Black Death.