World Did first plague kill half of late Roman Empire? Evidence may be exaggerated, study says December 4, 2019December 4, 2019Ryan W. Miller, USA TODAYComments Off on Did first plague kill half of late Roman Empire? Evidence may be exaggerated, study says The Justinianic Plague is said to have killed more than half of the late Roman Empire's population – but with little evidence, a new study suggests.