Old DNA solves Mystery of the Prague of Justinian, the first pandemic in history

A new study found direct genetic evidence that points to the cause of the devastating “Justinian Prague”, described for the first time almost 1,500 years ago.

A team of investigators discovered the first direct genomic tests of the bacteria responsible for Justinian Prague – The first pandemic registered in the world – in the East Mediterranean, where the outbreak was described almost 1,500 years ago.

The discovery, led by an interdisciplinary team from the University of South Florida and the Florida Atlantic University, in collaboration with scientists from India and Australia, identified the plague microorganism, in a common ditch in the ancient city of Jerash in Jordan, near the epicenter of the pandemic.

The identification Establishes in a definitive way The connection between the pathogen agent and the Prague of Justinian, who marked the first known pandemic (541–750 AD), solving One of the great mysteries of history.

For centuries, historians debated the cause of the devastating outbreak what killed dozens of millions of peopleremodeling the Byzantine Empire and changed the course of Western civilization, recalls the.

Although there were circumstantial evidence, the direct proof of responsible microorganism was missing – The piece that completed the puzzle of the history of pandemics.

Os First reports of the disease They emerged around 541 AD in the port of Pelúsio in Baixo Egypt, before spreading through the commercial routes by the Byzantine Empire.

During a particularly intense outbreak in Constantinople, now Istanbul, the Emperor Justiniano Iwhich named the plague, fell ill, but would later recover.

The inhabitants of the city were not so luckyand tens of thousands died over four months.

To respond to the huge number of corpses, Justinian ordered them to be pit cavadas to bury them. When they filled, some of the bodies were placed inside the towers of the walls of the city and covered with living lime to accelerate decomposition.

The disease spread west throughout Europewith outbreaks occurring for the following centuries before finally disappearing around 750 AD

In total, estimates suggest that killed between 30 and 50 million people; Some historians suggest that it contributed to the Fall of the Byzantine Empirealthough others argue that for the empire.

Although traces of the bacteria had been found thousands of kilometers away, in the villages of Western Europe, none had been previously found within the Byzantine Empirenot even in the center of the outbreak – so far.

In the new survey, whose results were presented in a, published in July in Genes magazine, and on the beginning of August in Pathoges, the researchers analyzed an arena used as a common ditch from the mid -sixth century to the early century DC DC

“O Jerash archaeological syntium offers a rare glimpse of how old societies responded to the public health disaster, ”explains reason of HODresearcher at the University of South Florida and leader of the research team at the University.

“Jerash was one of the key cities From the East Roman Empire, a business center documented with magnificent structures. That a place once built for entertainment and civic pride If you have made a mass cemetery In an emergency height shows how urban centers were most likely overloaded, ”says the researcher.

The site provided the key evidence needed to connect Justinian’s plague to its origin.

“Using an old directed DNA techniques, we recovered and sequenced successfully genetic material of eight human teeth excavated from funeral chambers under the ancient Roman racetrack in Jerash, a city just 322 km from ancient Pelúsio, ”explains Greg O’Corry-Croweresearcher at Florida Atlantic University and co-author of the study.

The team found that The victims had all almost identical strains of Y.pestiswhich confirms that was present in the initial stages of the pandemicand suggests it was a rapid and devastating outbreak which moved rapidly through the population, with high mortality rates, explains the.

“This discovery provides the definitive proof for a long time the presence of Y.pestis At the epicenter of Justinian’s plague, ”adds Jiang.

“For centuries, We are based on written reports that described a devastating disease, but We lacked any biological evidence solid of the presence of the plague. Our findings provide the lack of this puzzle, offering the first direct genetic window on how this pandemic unfolded in the heart of the Empire, ”says the researcher.

Jiang’s team will now return to your attention to Lazzaretto Vecchioinfamous “Plague Island” of Venicewhere sick individuals were isolated during the outbreaks, to study a disease that may remain latent – But never disappears entirely.

“A few thousand years ago we fought against the plagueand people still die from it today“Like Covid, it continues to evolve, and the containment measures clearly cannot eliminate it. We have to be careful, but the threat will never disappear“Concludes Jiang.