Dubai, United Arab Emirates – Researchers have discovered direct genomic evidence of the bacteria that causes the Plague of Justinian for the first time. This breakthrough highlights the significance of past studies conducted across regions like Jordan and its historical contexts.
The pandemic (the first recorded pandemic in the world) is considered to be in the eastern Mediterranean. It was in this region where the epidemic was first described about 1,500 years ago.
According to the University of South Florida on its official website, this historic discovery was led by a multidisciplinary team. The team was from the University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University. They collaborated with researchers from India and Australia. This led to the identification of Yersinia pestis, the plague-causing microbe. It was found in a mass grave in the city of Jerash in Jordan, near the epidemic’s epicenter.
She added: “This pioneering discovery conclusively links the pathogen to the Plague of Justinian, which represented the first pandemic (541-750 AD)”.
What solves one of the ancient mysteries of history.
For centuries, historians have debated the causes of a devastating epidemic that killed tens of millions. It reshaped the Byzantine Empire and changed the course of Western civilization.
Despite circumstantial evidence, direct evidence of the responsible microbe remains a missing link in the history of epidemics.
new evidence
Two recently published research papers, led by the University of South Florida and Florida Atlantic University, provided these long-awaited answers.
In this regard, Dr. Rise H. said: Yay. Jiang, principal investigator of the studies and associate professor at the University of South Florida School of Public Health: “This discovery provides long-awaited conclusive evidence of the presence of Yersinia pestis bacteria at the epicenter of the Justinian plague”.
“For centuries, we have relied on written accounts describing a devastating disease, but we have lacked any conclusive biological evidence of the plague,” he added.
He noted, “Our results provide the missing solution to this mystery. It is the first direct genetic window into how this epidemic spread in the heart of the empire”.
“Using ancient DNA techniques, we successfully recovered genetic material from eight human teeth buried beneath the former Roman hippodrome at Jerash,” said Dr. Greg Okuri-Kro, co-author and research professor at Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute.
Genetic analysis revealed that plague victims carried almost identical strains of Y. pestis.
This confirms for the first time the presence of bacteria within the Byzantine Empire between 550 and 660 AD.
