5,500-year-old plague DNA found in Siberian hunter-gatherer graves is oldest known
By
Tom Metcalfe
Summary
Archaeologists have discovered the oldest-known traces of plague bacteria (Yersinia pestis) in 5,500-year-old hunter-gatherer burials near Lake Baikal in Siberia. This predates previous oldest plague evidence by several hundred years and challenges the assumption that plague only became a major threat after the rise of farming and dense settlements. The findings suggest the disease already affected scattered hunter-gatherer populations long before large agricultural communities emerged.
Source
Twitter / X5,500-year-old plague DNA found in Siberian hunter-gatherer graves is oldest knownsciencenews.orgKey quotes
· 3 pulledThe oldest-known traces of plague, around 5,500 years old, have been discovered in hunter-gatherer burials in Siberia.
Found at one of four ancient burial sites, the discovery predates the previous oldest signs of plague by several hundred years.
It also indicates that hunter-gatherers faced the disease long before farming and crowded settlements.
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