Archaeologists have discovered an Egyptian mummy over 3,000 years old, believed to have been a victim of the bubonic plague – also known as the “Black Death.”
The mummy is the first evidence of the spread of the disease outside the continents of Europe and Asia.
Researchers wrote in their abstract that this discovery provides molecular evidence on the presence of the plague in ancient Egypt.
They made the discovery after examining the body in the Egyptian Museum in Turin, Italy, which dates back 3,290 years to the late Bronze Age, according to the Popular Science magazine.
The magazine explained that an analysis of the female mummy’s bone tissue revealed traces of bubonic plague bacteria in the DNA, which means that the disease had reached an advanced stage when she died.
However, it remains unclear whether this was the only case or if it was part of a widespread epidemic in the region.
What was the Black Death?
The bubonic plague is one of the most notorious diseases in history.
It spreads when humans are bitten by fleas that feed on rodents. When the microbes infect the human body, they destroy the lymphatic system, causing the lymph nodes in the groin, armpits, and neck to swell and turn into swollen lumps called buboes (hence the name).
The disease then worsens and causes complications including seizures, vomiting blood, internal bleeding, and death.
The bubonic plague was known in Europe in the 14th century as a notorious epidemic killing about 25 million people between 1347 and 1351, in addition to its later outbreaks in China, Mongolia, and India.
Previous research has suggested that plague had been present in Egypt for decades, but there has been no solid evidence for this until now.
In 2004, scientists found thousands of years old fleas in a warehouse on the banks of the Nile.
There was also a 3,500-year-old Egyptian medical document describing a malignant tumor filled with pus, suggesting that plague may have been widespread. However, the existence of the Black Death could not be confirmed without DNA evidence.
Scientists hope their discovery will inspire others to conduct further studies and shed light on the possible transmission routes and pathology of the Egyptian variant.
