Ancient plague mystery: Egyptian mummy reveals DNA secrets
Scientists have discovered the DNA of the bacterium Yersinia pestis in a mummy from Egypt dating back approximately 3,300 years, confirming the presence of the plague outside Eurasia.
This groundbreaking discovery involves identifying the DNA of Yersinia pestis in the mummy, dating to about 3,300 years ago. It marks the oldest confirmed case of the plague outside Eurasia, indicating that the disease was present in North Africa during the Bronze Age.
DNA of the Black Death in an ancient mummy
Research conducted on the mummy, housed in the Museo Egizio in Turin, revealed the presence of Yersinia pestis DNA in both bone tissue and intestinal contents. This finding suggests that the individual died in an advanced stage of the disease. Although it's not possible to assess how common the plague was in ancient Egypt, scientists note that previous studies point to potential epidemics along the Nile.
Previous discoveries, such as fleas found in Amarna—where the builders of Tutankhamun's tomb lived—and medical texts from the Ebers Papyrus describing a disease with symptoms akin to the plague, bolster the hypothesis of its presence in ancient Egypt. These new studies provide substantial evidence of the plague's existence in the region, though complete research results are still pending.
Further research ongoing
The abstract published in The Bozen-Bolzano Institutional Archive (BIA) states that the genomic data obtained is being further analyzed to assign the ancient strain to the currently known diversity of Y. pestis, study virulence-related genes, and characterize its possible transmission modes and pathology.
While the evidence of the plague's presence outside Eurasia is molecular, it is currently not possible to determine how widespread the disease was in the region during that period.
