New research has unveiled a startling revelation about the history of the plague in Great Britain. Recent investigations into Bronze Age human remains in Somerset and Cumbria have unearthed the earliest evidence of Yersinia pestis, the bacteria responsible for causing the plague, according to a report by the UK's National History Museum.
The DNA of this ancient pathogen was detected in three skeletons, indicating its presence in Britain thousands of years before the notorious Black Death.
Ancient Plague
The DNA discovery, although degraded due to the passage of time, has opened up new possibilities regarding the extent of the ancient plague's reach.
While it remains uncertain whether the three identified victims succumbed to the plague, the strain found in their remains lacks the virulence genes associated with later pandemic-causing bacteria.
Within the Yersina family, consisting of more than 20 bacterial species, Yersinia pestis stands out. While only three species within this family have been identified as human pathogens, Y. enterocolitica and Y. pseudotuberculosis are known to cause relatively mild food and water-borne illnesses.
On the other hand, Y. pestis is significantly more severe, giving rise to the bubonic, septicaemic, and pneumonic forms of the plague, all of which pose a fatal threat when left untreated.
Y. pestis evolved from Y. pseudotuberculosis, acquiring genes to infect fleas and strengthen defenses. Its major pandemic, the Justinian Plague, emerged around 1,500 years ago.
The Black Death, a deadlier pandemic, caused profound changes, claiming a third of Europe's population. Earlier evidence suggests Y. pestis circulated prior to major outbreaks, with traces found 4,700 years ago in Europe and Asia.
Recent research indicates that ancient migrations might have brought the plague to the UK. The study analyzed teeth from 34 skeletons discovered at two Bronze Age burial sites: Charterhouse Warren in Somerset and Levens Park in Cumbria.
Traces of Y. pestis DNA were found in two teeth from Charterhouse Warren, belonging to children aged approximately 10 and 12, as well as in the tooth of a woman aged 35 to 45 from Levens Park.
While it remains uncertain if other skeletons carried the plague, the difficulty in detecting its presence leaves the possibility open.
30 Skeletons in a Rock Shaft
If additional individuals within the burial sites were infected with the plague, it might help solve a historical enigma surrounding Charterhouse Warren. The 30 skeletons, which had been disposed of in a rock shaft, displayed signs of trauma shortly before their death and dismemberment.
The theory suggests that these individuals were targeted due to their plague-infected status, as evidenced by the trauma of one of the infected children. Confirming the presence of the plague in the other skeletons could provide further evidence supporting this hypothesis.
Beaker pottery suggests the introduction of the British strain during ancient migrations 4,400 years ago. Researchers sequenced the Y. pestis genome, finding the strain lacking crucial genes like "ymt" for flea transmission.
The discovery of 4,000-year-old plague DNA in mass burial sites in Great Britain presents a remarkable opportunity to deepen our understanding of ancient diseases and their impact on human history.
The findings challenge previous assumptions about the plague's timeline and dispersion, inviting further exploration of the coexistence between pathogens and humans throughout history.
The discovery was further detailed in the journal Nature.
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