Plague of Justinian Victims Identified: Jerash Mass Grave Reveals Diverse Population
A recent investigation featured in the Journal of Archaeological Science has examined skeletal remains from a mass burial site in Jerash, Jordan, linked to the Plague of Justinian (541 C.E.). Situated within the city's hippodrome, this grave held hundreds of bodies interred without rituals. Under the guidance of Rays Jiang from the University of South Florida, researchers detected the plague-causing bacterium Yersinia pestis and employed isotope and DNA analyses to trace the victims' origins. The deceased comprised men, women, children, and adolescents, with many having migrated from central Africa, Eastern Europe, and present-day Turkey. This research establishes the site as the earliest known catastrophic plague burial in the Near East, underscoring the susceptibility of transient communities during pandemics.
Key facts
- The Plague of Justinian struck the Byzantine Empire in 541 C.E., killing tens of millions over two centuries.
- Jerash, a trade crossroads in present-day Jordan, lost about half its 20,000 residents.
- The hippodrome, converted to a ceramics factory, became a mass grave filled within days.
- Researchers identified Yersinia pestis as the causative bacterium in a 2023 study.
- Isotope analysis of teeth showed diverse water sources, indicating many victims were migrants.
- DNA analysis traced ancestry to central Africa, Eastern Europe, and Turkey.
- The grave contains a single uniform strain of Yersinia pestis, indicating a synchronous epidemic.
- The study was published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.
- Co-author Karen Hendrix is an archaeologist at the University of Sydney.
- Nükhet Varlik, a historian at Rutgers University, commented on the vulnerability of immigrants.
Entities
Institutions
- University of South Florida
- University of Sydney
- Rutgers University
- Journal of Archaeological Science
- Smithsonian Magazine
- The Guardian
Locations
- Jerash
- Jordan
- Byzantine Empire
- Byzantium
- Istanbul
- Turkey
- North Africa
- southern Europe
- Asia Minor
- central Africa
- Eastern Europe
- Near East