guy Posted November 28, 2021 Report Share Posted November 28, 2021 (edited) Modern DNA analysis is yielding insights into the Justinian plague. Quote “Until the early 2000s, the identification of the Justinianic Plague as ‘bubonic’ rested entirely upon ancient texts which described the appearance of buboes or swellings in the groins or armpits of victims. But then rapid advances in genomics enabled archaeologists and genetic scientists to discover traces of the ancient DNA of Yersinia pestis in Early Medieval skeletal remains. The arrival of bubonic plague in the Mediterranean around 541 and its initial arrival in England possibly somewhat earlier may have been the result of two separate but related routes, occurring some time apart. The study suggests that the plague may have reached the Mediterranean via the Red Sea, and reached England perhaps via the Baltic and Scandanavia, and from there onto parts of the continent.” https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/justinianic-plague-was-nothing-like-flu-and-may-have-hit-england-before-constantinople Below is the academic article on which the above article is based. The article’s purpose was to prove the enormous impact that the Justinian plague had on the ancient world and refute any arguments to the contrary. It seems to me, however, that the argument against a significant impact from the plague was always weak. https://academic.oup.com/past/advance-article/doi/10.1093/pastj/gtab024/6427314?login=true Edited February 2 by guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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