Researchers confirmed Yersinia pestis, the Black Death bacterium, caused the Justinian Plague 1,500 years ago.
They located its epicentre for the first time, solving a centuries-old mystery about the world’s first recorded pandemic.
Evidence Found in Ancient Jerash
Researchers discovered Yersinia pestis DNA in teeth from a mass grave beneath Roman ruins in Jerash, Jordan.
The findings provided the first direct biological proof linking the bacterium to the Justinian Plague.
Lead author Rays HY Jiang said scientists had only relied on written accounts until now.
He explained the results gave the missing genetic evidence of how the pandemic spread through the empire.
How the Deadly Outbreak Spread
The Justinian Plague began in 541 CE and swept across the Byzantine Empire for two centuries.
Historians estimate it killed between 15 and 100 million people in recurring waves of devastation.
Researchers confirmed the zoonotic bacterium spread mostly through flea-infested rodents and occasionally between humans directly.
DNA Analysis Unlocks the Mystery
An interdisciplinary team analyzed eight teeth from burial chambers under Jerash’s ancient hippodrome.
The DNA showed nearly identical strains of Y pestis, proving the outbreak struck the empire between 550 and 660 AD.
Jiang said Jerash, once a thriving trade hub, turned into a mass grave during the health crisis.
A Persistent Threat Through History
A related study revealed Y pestis circulated among humans long before the Justinian outbreak.
Researchers said later pandemics, including the Black Death, emerged independently from animal reservoirs.
Jiang warned plague continues to evolve like COVID, stressing that humanity can never fully eliminate the threat.
