Ancient Plague Discovery: Oldest Evidence Unveiled in Prehistoric Grave, Rewriting Historical Perspectives

Researchers have unearthed the earliest evidence of a plague outbreak in ancient graves located in Siberia, specifically among prehistoric children.

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The study, detailed in a publication in the journal Nature, rewrites the narrative surrounding one of the most severe diseases in human history.

Discovered near the Angara River, this tomb held multiple generations of hunter-gatherers and dated archaeological artifacts, including arrowheads, back to approximately 5,500 years ago. Genetic analysis of the skeletons revealed that about 40% contained DNA from the plague-causing bacterium.

Study leader Ruairidh MacLeod, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oxford, noted that some graves contained cousins and siblings aged four to nine.

“Three young girls seemingly buried at the same time, likely due to a tragic epidemic, showed significant plague DNA,” MacLeod stated, emphasizing the devastating impact of this disease on children within these communities.

This research indicates that there were two distinct plague outbreaks among hunter-gatherer groups, suggesting the ancient plague spread among family units, impacting prehistoric populations overlooked in earlier studies. Notable is prior research indicating a plague infection in a hunter-gatherer from Latvia around 5,000 years ago, though it found no evidence of larger epidemics.

Plague outbreaks have historically altered societal trajectories, most famously during the pandemic that began in 1347, which decimated Europe’s population.

Traditionally, the emergence of plague and other infectious diseases has been linked to the Neolithic Revolution, when societies shifted to agriculture and domestic animal husbandry, fostering environments conducive to disease spread.

However, external researchers posit that this recent study challenges that narrative.

“This is compelling evidence of a prehistoric outbreak,” noted Nicolas Raskobin, ancient DNA researcher at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. He argued that agricultural lifestyles contributed significantly to the spread of plague.

The findings imply that plague re-emerged periodically within certain hunter-gatherer communities, closely interacting with wild animal populations that carried the bacterium.

According to evolutionary geneticist Eske Willasev from the University of Copenhagen, contributing to the study, “The misconception that the hunter-gatherer period was free of diseases is being dismantled. Evidence suggests that these communities faced recurrent plagues, making their existence challenging.”

The bacterium identified, Yersinia pestis, is responsible for the Black Death, although researchers contend it hasn’t yet developed certain characteristics that later outbreaks exhibited. They suggest that the bacterium’s ability to transmit through flea bites evolved approximately 3,800 years ago.

Evidence indicates that prehistoric outbreaks likely stemmed from pneumonic plague, a variant that primarily affects the respiratory system.

“Pneumonic plague doesn’t require the same genes as bubonic plague,” MacLeod explained. “It spreads through respiratory droplets, making it highly infectious and lethal.”

The human remains studied were excavated by Russian archaeologists in the 1980s near Lake Baikal, an ancient fishing site for early Siberian communities. Many graves contained multiple bodies, suggesting simultaneous burials, particularly involving children.

Researchers believe that many children likely died simultaneously, suggesting a specific vulnerability to the disease during ancient outbreaks.

By extracting DNA from teeth, scientists examined familial links and identified the bacteria in a subset of bones; however, many cases likely went undetected due to decomposition. MacLeod noted, “In ancient DNA studies, detection rates for plague victims are typically low, yet signs suggest most individuals succumbed to the infection.”

MacLeod compared the rates to studies of victims from the Smithfield plague pits in medieval London, which had a 20% detection rate. Given the findings in Siberia, the conclusion supports a high mortality rate from the plague.

While rare, occasional cases of plague persist in isolated areas. When detected early, antibiotics can effectively treat the infection. Last year, over 2,400 pneumonic plague cases were registered globally, including one reported death in Arizona, marking the first such occurrence in the U.S. since 2007.