Welcome to the world’s first plague cemetery
The Angara River originates from Lake Baikal. In ancient times, the communities living along its banks survived through hunting, foraging, and fishing. They likely resided in small groups but maintained connections over vast distances via familial ties. Though their lifestyle was mobile, they established cemeteries like Ust’-Ida where they buried the dead with clay pots, stone tools, and bone or antler points.
At Ust’-Ida, archaeologists from the Baikal Archaeology Project encountered a troubling discovery: a significant number of child remains, alongside radiocarbon dates indicating many individuals died around the same time, yet without signs of violence. Something tragic befell this ancient group, but the specifics remained elusive. Researchers turned to ancient DNA for potential answers.
Macleod and his team utilized shotgun sequencing, a method meant to identify unknown DNA sequences in samples. They analyzed teeth roots from 46 individuals across four cemeteries along the Angara River.
To their astonishment, they detected traces of the plague.
A noteworthy detail: because dental roots are rich in blood vessels, anything in a person’s bloodstream can end up in their teeth after death. “This is fascinating evidence that the plague was in the bloodstream, which is fatal,” remarked Frederik Seersholm, an ancient DNA researcher at the University of Copenhagen, during a press conference.
Out of the 31 people examined at Ust’-Ida, about 11 tested positive for Y. pestis DNA. Macleod suggested this aligns with the possibility that nearly all buried there succumbed to the plague, not just those 11. The rate of plague DNA found in Ust’-Ida’s remains is comparable to that found in Smithfield, a known mass grave in London for plague victims. It suggests a strong likelihood that everyone interred there had the plague.
