Researchers confirmed Yersinia pestis, later behind the Black Death, caused the Justinian Plague 1,500 years ago.
Scientists located traces of the bacterium in a mass grave beneath Jerash’s ancient ruins in Jordan.
They identified the microbe through DNA analysis, marking the first direct biological evidence of the pandemic.
Justinian Plague’s Deadly Reach
The Justinian Plague began in 541 CE and spread across the eastern Mediterranean and Byzantine Empire.
Historians estimate the pandemic killed between 15 and 100 million people during two centuries of recurrence.
Researchers linked the outbreak to Yersinia pestis, the same bacterium that drove later waves like the Black Death.
Fleas infesting rodents, especially rats near humans, spread the bacterium, along with direct pneumonic transmission.
DNA Unlocks Ancient Mystery
The research team examined eight human teeth found in Jerash’s burial chambers under the Roman hippodrome.
They discovered identical strains of Y pestis, confirming its spread between 550 and 660 AD.
Findings suggest a fast, lethal outbreak, consistent with written accounts of mass deaths in the empire.
A Lasting Threat Through Centuries
A companion study revealed Y pestis circulated among humans long before the Justinian outbreak began.
Later pandemics, including the Black Death and modern cases, emerged separately from animal reservoirs.
Lead author Rays HY Jiang warned that plague, like COVID, evolves constantly and will never fully disappear.
