Ancient DNA Pinpoints Culprit Responsible for World's First Pandemic - Archaeology Magazine

Ancient DNA Pinpoints Culprit Responsible for World's First Pandemic - Archaeology Magazine

Tooth from Jerash JERASH, JORDAN—The world’s first pandemic, known as the Plague of Justinian after the sitting Byzantine emperor, killed an estimated 25 to 100 million people between a.d. 541 and 750. Scientists have long speculated about what caused the outbreak and where it originated, though historical sources from the period suggest that it may have begun around Pelusium, Egypt, before spreading rapidly throughout the Middle East and the Me…

Plague: Ancient DNA of Yersinia pestis solves mystery of mass death in Justinian, rewrites pandemic history

Two studies provide new insights into one of the most consequential episodes in human history. Genomic evidence links Y. pestis to the plague of Justinian, marking the begining of the First Pandemic (AD 541-750) in the ancient city of Jerash, Jordan. Genomic evidence also shows Y. pestis was circulating in human populations for millennia even before the Justinian outbreak