The oldest confirmed case of the plague outside of Eurasia has been detected in an ancient Egyptian mummy. Dating back to around 3,290 years ago, the embalmed remains belong to a male individual who likely suffered from severe symptoms at the time of death.
The bubonic plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, was notorious during the 14th century, resulting in millions of deaths across Europe. Recent studies have found traces of Y. pestis DNA in prehistoric remains, indicating the presence of the pathogen long before the infamous pandemic.
Previously, all ancient examples of Y. pestis had been found in Europe and Asia, including evidence in 5,000-year-old skeletons in Russia. However, a team of researchers analyzing a mummy at the Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy, has revealed that the plague was also present in North Africa during the Bronze Age.
Radiocarbon dating places the mummy at the end of the Second Intermediate Period or the beginning of the New Kingdom. Traces of Y. pestis DNA were found in both bone tissue and intestinal content, suggesting the disease had reached an advanced stage by the time of the individual's death.
Researchers stated, "This is the first reported prehistoric Y. pestis genome outside Eurasia providing molecular evidence for the presence of plague in ancient Egypt, although we cannot infer how widespread the disease was during this time." This finding was presented at the European Meeting of the Paleopathology Association earlier this year.
Despite uncertainties regarding the prevalence of the plague in ancient Egypt, previous studies have suggested possible outbreaks along the Nile. Over two decades ago, researchers discovered fleas at an archaeological site in Amarna, linked to workers who built Tutankhamun's tomb.
Fleas are primary carriers of the bacteria, leading researchers to suspect the bubonic plague may have existed in ancient Egypt. This theory is supported by a 3,500-year-old medical text, the Ebers Papyrus, which describes a disease that "has produced a bubo, and the pus has petrified." Some researchers propose that the plague spread via fleas on Nile rats before reaching black rats that traveled on ancient ships.
While awaiting a full manuscript of the study, it is noted that the evidence from mummy DNA is substantial.