This research identified Yersinia pestis DNA in a mid-6th to early 7th century mass grave in Jerash, Jordan, providing the first genomic evidence of the plague in the Eastern Mediterranean. The study utilized proteomics for initial pathogen screening and conducted ancient DNA extraction and whole genome sequencing on select samples. Results showed highly similar Y. pestis genomes from five individuals, which clustered with other strains from the First Pandemic, revealing their geographical proximity to the pandemic's epicenter for the first time.
The study recovered Y. pestis DNA from five individuals in a mass grave in Jerash, Jordan, marking the first genomic evidence of the plague in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Genomic sequencing revealed highly similar Y. pestis genomes that clustered tightly with other First Pandemic lineages, confirming the presence of the plague during the First Pandemic.
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