Publications (peer reviewed) by Marcel Keller
Genome Biology, 2022
Background: The human pathogen Haemophilus influenzae was the main cause of bacterial meningitis ... more Background: The human pathogen Haemophilus influenzae was the main cause of bacterial meningitis in children and a major cause of worldwide infant mortality before the introduction of a vaccine in the 1980s. Although the occurrence of serotype b (Hib), the most virulent type of H. influenzae, has since decreased, reports of infections with other serotypes and non-typeable strains are on the rise. While non-typeable strains have been studied in-depth, very little is known of the pathogen's evolutionary history, and no genomes dating prior to 1940 were available. Results: We describe a Hib genome isolated from a 6-year-old Anglo-Saxon plague victim, from approximately 540 to 550 CE, Edix Hill, England, showing signs of invasive infection on its skeleton. We find that the genome clusters in phylogenetic division II with Hib strain NCTC8468, which also caused invasive disease. While the virulence profile of our genome was distinct, its genomic similarity to NCTC8468 points to mostly clonal evolution of the clade since the 6th century. We also reconstruct a partial Yersinia pestis genome, which is likely identical to a published first plague pandemic genome of Edix Hill. Conclusions: Our study presents the earliest genomic evidence for H. influenzae, points to the potential presence of larger genomic diversity in the phylogenetic division II serotype b clade in the past, and allows the first insights into the evolutionary history of this major human pathogen. The identification of both plague and Hib opens questions on the effect of plague in immunocompromised individuals already affected by infectious diseases.
American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 2020
Warfare is assumed to be one of the defining cultural characteristics of steppe nomads in Eastern... more Warfare is assumed to be one of the defining cultural characteristics of steppe nomads in Eastern Eurasia. For the first‐centuries CE, a period of political turmoil in Northern China and Southern Siberia, relatively few data are, however, available about the degree and variability of violence in these communities. Here, we provide new data on violence among steppe nomads during the first‐centuries CE by analyzing the type, anatomical distribution, and demographic distribution of perimortem trauma at Tunnug1 (Tuva, Southern Siberia—second to fourth c. CE).
Nature Communications, 2019
The second plague pandemic, caused by Yersinia pestis, devastated Europe and the nearby regions b... more The second plague pandemic, caused by Yersinia pestis, devastated Europe and the nearby regions between the 14 th and 18 th centuries AD. Here we analyse human remains from ten European archaeological sites spanning this period and reconstruct 34 ancient Y. pestis genomes. Our data support an initial entry of the bacterium through eastern Europe, the absence of genetic diversity during the Black Death, and low within-outbreak diversity thereafter. Analysis of post-Black Death genomes shows the diversification of a Y. pestis lineage into multiple genetically distinct clades that may have given rise to more than one disease reservoir in, or close to, Europe. In addition, we show the loss of a genomic region that includes virulence-related genes in strains associated with late stages of the pandemic. The deletion was also identified in genomes connected with the first plague pandemic (541-750 AD), suggesting a comparable evolutionary trajectory of Y. pestis during both events.
Nature Communications, 2019
The second plague pandemic, caused by Yersinia pestis, devastated Europe and the nearby regions b... more The second plague pandemic, caused by Yersinia pestis, devastated Europe and the nearby regions between the 14 th and 18 th centuries AD. Here we analyse human remains from ten European archaeological sites spanning this period and reconstruct 34 ancient Y. pestis genomes. Our data support an initial entry of the bacterium through eastern Europe, the absence of genetic diversity during the Black Death, and low within-outbreak diversity thereafter. Analysis of post-Black Death genomes shows the diversification of a Y. pestis lineage into multiple genetically distinct clades that may have given rise to more than one disease reservoir in, or close to, Europe. In addition, we show the loss of a genomic region that includes virulence-related genes in strains associated with late stages of the pandemic. The deletion was also identified in genomes connected with the first plague pandemic (541-750 AD), suggesting a comparable evolutionary trajectory of Y. pestis during both events.
PNAS, 2019
The first historically documented pandemic caused by Yersinia pestis began as the Justinianic Pla... more The first historically documented pandemic caused by Yersinia pestis began as the Justinianic Plague in 541 within the Roman Empire and continued as the so-called First Pandemic until 750. Although paleo-genomic studies have previously identified the causative agent as Y. pestis, little is known about the bacterium's spread, diversity, and genetic history over the course of the pandemic. To elucidate the microevolution of the bacterium during this time period, we screened human remains from 21 sites in Austria, Britain, Germany, France, and Spain for Y. pestis DNA and reconstructed eight genomes. We present a methodological approach assessing single-nucleotide polymor-phisms (SNPs) in ancient bacterial genomes, facilitating qualitative analyses of low coverage genomes from a metagenomic background. Phylogenetic analysis on the eight reconstructed genomes reveals the existence of previously undocumented Y. pestis diversity during the sixth to eighth centuries, and provides evidence for the presence of multiple distinct Y. pestis strains in Europe. We offer genetic evidence for the presence of the Justinianic Plague in the British Isles, previously only hypothesized from ambiguous documentary accounts, as well as the parallel occurrence of multiple derived strains in central and southern France, Spain, and southern Germany. Four of the reported strains form a polytomy similar to others seen across the Y. pestis phylogeny, associated with the Second and Third Pandemics. We identified a deletion of a 45-kb genomic region in the most recent First Pandemic strains affecting two virulence factors, intriguingly overlapping with a deletion found in 17th-to 18th-century genomes of the Second Pandemic.
Prähistorischen Zeitschrift, 2018
Zusammenfassung:
Vergangene Pestepidemien wurden vor allem in schriftlichen Quellen überliefert; ... more Zusammenfassung:
Vergangene Pestepidemien wurden vor allem in schriftlichen Quellen überliefert; insbesondere die Justinianische Pest des frühen Mittelalters und der Schwarze Tod des späten Mittelalters wurden dort in lebendigen Farben beschrieben. Vor der Einführung der aDNA-Analyse war es aber oftmals schwierig, archäologische nachgewiesene Bestattungen eindeutig der Pest zuzuweisen – vor allem in Gegenden, wo schriftliche Überlieferungen, die die Pest erwähnen, fehlen. Die Analyse alter DNA erlaubt es nun, die Opfer der Pest eindeutig im archäologischen Befund zu identifizieren. In diesem Artikel sollen daher die ersten bekannten Beispiele von durch aDNA-Analyse bestätigten Pestgräbern aus Deutschland aus dem frühen Mittelalter, dem späten Mittelalter und dem 30-jährigen Krieg präsentiert und mit einander verglichen werden.
Résumé:
Les épidémies de peste d’autrefois furent surtout transmises à travers les écrits. Ce sont particulièrement la peste de Justinien du haut Moyen Age et la Peste noire du bas Moyen Age qui firent l’objet de récits hauts en couleur. Cependant, l’attribution à la peste de sépultures identifiées par l’archéologie était souvent difficile avant l’introduction de l’analyse de l’ADNa – surtout dans les régions dépourvues de sources écrites mentionnant la peste. L’analyse d’ADN ancien permet maintenant d’identifier avec certitude les victimes de la peste dans un contexte archéologique. Cet article voudrait donc présenter les premiers exemples connus en Allemagne de tombes de pestiférés du haut Moyen Age, du bas Moyen Age et de la guerre de Trente Ans vérifiées par l’analyse de l’ADNa, et qui seront comparées les unes aux autres. Cette contribution voudrait plaider pour une approche différenciée des rites funéraires, particulièrement lorsque plusieurs pestiférés furent ensevelis dans la même tombe. On veut en outre montrer les conclusions possibles, qui peuvent être tirées à partir des tombes de pestiférés identifiées par l’analyse de l’ADNa, pour les différentes stratégies suivies autrefois par les sociétés en vue de gérer des catastrophes comme les épidémies.
Abstract:
Plague outbreaks in the past are mainly known from written sources; in particular, the Justinianic Plague of the Early Middle Ages and the Black Death of the Late Middle Ages have been described in vivid detail. Yet prior to the introduction of aDNA analysis, it was often quite difficult to associate burials with plague beyond doubt – especially in areas where written evidence of the plague is scarce. As analysis of ancient DNA now allows the detection of plague victims in the archaeological record, new ways are being developed for combining archaeological, historical and ancient DNA research. In this paper we would like to present and compare known examples of plague graves from the Early Middle Ages, the Late Middle Ages and the Thirty Years’ War in Germany that have also been confirmed by ancient DNA analyses. We would like to argue for a differentiated view of the burial customs, especially when more than one plague victim shared a grave, and would like to show possible conclusions, drawn from the aDNA-confirmed plague burials, that can indicate the different strategies adopted by ancient societies to deal with catastrophic events like a pandemic disease.
Quellenangabe: Praehistorische Zeitschrift, Band 92, Heft 2, Seiten 405–427, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/pz-2017-0018
The Justinianic Plague, which started in the 6th century and lasted to the mid-8th century, is th... more The Justinianic Plague, which started in the 6th century and lasted to the mid-8th century, is thought to be the first of three historically documented plague pandemics causing massive casualties. Historical accounts and molecular data suggest the bacterium Yersinia pestis as its etiological agent. Here we present a new high-coverage (17.9 fold) Y. pestis genome obtained from a 6th-century skeleton recovered from a southern German burial site close to Munich. The reconstructed genome enabled the detection of 30 unique substitutions as well as structural differences that have not been previously described. We report indels affecting a lacl family transcription regulator gene as well as non-synonymous substitutions in the nrdE, fadJ and pcp genes, that have been suggested as plague virulence determinants or have been shown to be upregulated in different models of plague infection. In addition, we identify 19 false positive substitutions in a previously published lower coverage Y. pestis genome from another archaeological site of the same time period and geographical region that is otherwise genetically identical to the high coverage genome sequence reported here, suggesting low genetic diversity of the plague during the 6th century in rural southern Germany.
Objectives: Straight next to a segment of the outer ditch of the Late Neolithic Michelsberg Cultu... more Objectives: Straight next to a segment of the outer ditch of the Late Neolithic Michelsberg Culture earthwork of Bruchsal-Aue in SW-Germany (ca. 4250–3650 calBC), a multiple burial of eight individuals (two male adults and six children) plus a subsequent child burial was excavated. In this study, we applied a multidisciplinary approach to elucidate interpersonal relationships and life histories within this collective. Materials and methods: To determine the identity of this collective, we performed aDNA analyses in addition to osteological examination using HVR I plus Y-chromosomal and autosomal STR profiling to find evidence for kinship relations. Strontium isotopic analyses were used to reconsider migrational behavior. To find evidence for a specific social affiliation, the individual diet was reconstructed by performing nitrogen and carbon isotopic analyses. Furthermore, radiocarbon-dating was carried out to integrate the burial context into an absolute timeframe. Two nearby single burials were included in the analyses for comparison. Results: Because of a shared HVR I haplotype, three pairs of individuals were most likely linked by kinship, and statistical testing on autosomal STR profiles shows a high probability for the pair of two men being brothers. Although it cannot be excluded, isotopic data gave no clear proof for migration. A rather poor health status is indicated by skeletal stress markers even though the isotope data attest to a diet rich in meat and fish. Discussion: Although clear kinship relations among the infants remain unconfirmed, a relationship could also be indicated by the positioning of the bodies in the burial pit. Whereas a common cause of death might have been the presupposition for their special treatment, interpersonal relationships were likely the decisive factor for the multiple burial.
Publications (not peer reviewed) by Marcel Keller
Evangelische Theologie, 2021
Of all known epidemics in Antiquity, the Justinianic Plague became the focus of attention in rece... more Of all known epidemics in Antiquity, the Justinianic Plague became the focus of attention in recent years – not least because it is the first for which the causative agent, the bacterium Yersinia pestis, could be unambiguously identified by palaeogeneticists. The reconstruction of
ancient Y. pestis genomes is able to uncover the geographical and temporal extent of the pandemic beyond the limitations of written sources; and phylogenetic studies allow for inferences on the origin and spread of plague through time. But even the mere identification of plague victims in Late Antique and Early Medieval cemeteries offers insights in the crisis management and reactions of past societies to the irruption of the unfathomable, to which historical scholarship – generally based on written sources – has only limited access. However, attempts on the integration of natural scientific research on epidemics and climatic shifts in history are
notoriously accused of determinism or an oversimplification of complex coherencies. Therefore, mutual understanding of methodologies and epistemologies of different disciplines is a fundamental prerequisite to avoid simplistic causal inferences from correlations and circular
arguments, and lead to a better understanding of the Justinianic Plague and accompanying processes through an integrative approach.
Vom frühmittelalterlichen Herrenhof zum neuzeitlichen Pestfriedhof, 2020
Pest! Eine Spurensuche, 2019
Dieser Beitrag wechselt die Pespektive: Nicht der Mensch, sondern das Bakterium steht im Zentrum ... more Dieser Beitrag wechselt die Pespektive: Nicht der Mensch, sondern das Bakterium steht im Zentrum der Geschichte. Über mehrere tausend Jahre mutierte ein vergleichsweise harmloses Bakterium zum Pesterreger Yersinia pestis wie wir ihn heute kennen. Was musste eigentlich geschehen, um aus einem Keim einen Killer zu machen,
der die Welt in Atem hält? Und was verrät der genetische Stammbaum des Bakteriums über die Verbreitungswege der Seuche? Die Antwort auf diese Fragen liefert die Archäogenetik.
Im Michelsberger Erdwerk Bruchsal ‚Aue‘ wurden zwischen 1987 und 1992 vier Einzelbestattungen und... more Im Michelsberger Erdwerk Bruchsal ‚Aue‘ wurden zwischen 1987 und 1992 vier Einzelbestattungen und zwei Mehrfachbestattungen mit drei bzw. neun Individuen freigelegt. In diesem Beitrag werden die Ergebnisse morphologischer, paläogenetischer und archäogenetischer Analysen an der Neunfachbestattung sowie den Einzelbestattungen und Skelettresten, die alle aus demselben Grabenabschnitt ‚Komplex‘ 4 stammen, präsentiert. Außerdem wird durch eine Verknüpfung der Interpretationen von archäologischen Befundverhältnissen und von 14C-Daten die Baugeschichte des Grabenabschnittes sowie das chronologische Verhältnis zwischen den verschiedenen Grabenphasen und den Grabgruben erörtert.
Für den Grabenabschnitt lassen sich drei bis vier Nutzungsphasen sowie eine Neuanlage des Grabens nachweisen; für die zeitliche Einordnung der Bestattungen sind mehrere Szenarien denkbar. Die Verwandtschaftsanalysen legen nahe, dass die beiden erwachsenen Männer der Mehrfachbestattung Brüder waren, worauf die morphologischen Untersuchungen ebenfalls hindeuten. Auch unter den mitbestatteten Kindern könnten sich Geschwisterpaare
befinden, was sich aufgrund der mangelhaften DNA-Erhaltung aber nicht eindeutig klären lässt. Die Isotopendaten lassen auf einen wesentlichen Anteil von Frischwasserfisch am Nahrungsspektrum der Individuen schließen. Ein Residenzwechsel lässt sich für keines der Individuen nachweisen.
Preprints by Marcel Keller
bioRxiv, 2019
Along with the publication of 137 ancient human genomes retrieved from archaeological remains of ... more Along with the publication of 137 ancient human genomes retrieved from archaeological remains of the Eurasian steppe, Damgaard et al., 2018 identified two individuals infected with Yersinia pestis, yielding one genome with 0.24x average coverage (DA147, 2nd–3rd c. AD) and another with 8.7x (DA101, 6th–9th c. AD). A phylogenetic analysis performed on the latter placed it in a position ancestral to a 6th-century Justinianic genome from Aschheim, Germany. These results are used to fuel an argument that the Justinianic Plague (541–544 AD) “was brought to Europe towards the end of the Hunnic period through the Silk Road along the southern fringes of the steppes” in contrast to the leading hypothesis of introduction via the Red Sea that is supported by historical accounts. In our reanalysis, we question the contested historical context of the presented genomes with the Justinianic Plague and show that the lower coverage genome might be rather related to the Black Death (1346–1353 AD).
bioRxiv, 2018
The first historically documented pandemic caused by Yersinia pestis started as the Justinianic P... more The first historically documented pandemic caused by Yersinia pestis started as the Justinianic Plague in 541 within the Roman Empire and continued as the so-called First Pandemic until 750. Although palaeogenomic studies have previously identified the causative agent as Y. pestis, little is known about the bacterium's spread, diversity and genetic history over the course of the pandemic. To elucidate the microevolution of the bacterium during this time period, we screened human remains from 20 sites in Austria, Britain, Germany, France and Spain for Y. pestis DNA and reconstructed six new genomes. We present a novel methodological approach assessing SNPs in ancient bacterial genomes, facilitating qualitative analyses of low coverage genomes from a metagenomic background. Phylogenetic analysis reveals the existence of previously undocumented Y. pestis diversity during the 6th-7th centuries, and provides evidence for the presence of multiple distinct Y. pestis strains in Europe. We offer genetic evidence for the presence of the Justinianic Plague in the British Isles, previously only hypothesized from ambiguous documentary accounts, as well as southern France and Spain, and that southern Germany seems to have been affected by at least two distinct Y. pestis strains. Four of the reported strains form a polytomy similar to others seen across the Y. pestis phylogeny, associated with the Second and Third Pandemics. We identified a deletion of a 45 kb genomic region in the most recent First Pandemic strain affecting two virulence factors, intriguingly overlapping with a deletion found in 17th-18th-century genomes of the Second Pandemic.
bioRxiv, 2018
The second plague pandemic (14th - 18th century AD), caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, is ... more The second plague pandemic (14th - 18th century AD), caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, is infamous for its initial wave, the Black Death (1346-1353 AD), and its repeated scourges in Europe and the vicinity until the Early Modern Era. Here, we report 32 ancient Y. pestis genomes spanning the 14th to 17th century AD through the analysis of human remains from nine European archaeological sites. Our data support an initial entry of the bacterium from Eastern Europe and the absence of genetic diversity during the Black Death as well as low diversity during local outbreaks thereafter. Moreover, analysis of post-Black Death genomes shows the diversification of a Y. pestis lineage into multiple genetically distinct clades that may have given rise to more than one disease reservoir in, or close to, Europe. Finally, we show the loss of a genomic region that includes virulence-associated genes in strains associated with late stages of the second plague pandemic (17th - 18th century AD). This deletion could not be detected in extant strains within our modern dataset, though it was identified in a today-extinct lineage associated with the first plague pandemic (6th - 8th century AD), suggesting convergent evolution during both pandemic events.
Magazine Articles by Marcel Keller
Bayerische Archäologie, 2020
Bayerische Archäologie, 2020
The European Archaeologist
Bayerische Archäologie, 2020
Archäologie in Deutschland, 2017
Knochen verraten uns nicht nur viel über die Lebensgeschichte eines Menschen, auch tödliche Infek... more Knochen verraten uns nicht nur viel über die Lebensgeschichte eines Menschen, auch tödliche Infektionskrankheiten hinterlassen mitunter ihren genetischen Fingerabdruck im Skelett. Mit modernsten molekularbiologischen Methoden gelingt es Forschern heute, diese Spuren zu entschlüsseln und die Geschichte der Seuchen zu rekonstruieren.
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Publications (peer reviewed) by Marcel Keller
Vergangene Pestepidemien wurden vor allem in schriftlichen Quellen überliefert; insbesondere die Justinianische Pest des frühen Mittelalters und der Schwarze Tod des späten Mittelalters wurden dort in lebendigen Farben beschrieben. Vor der Einführung der aDNA-Analyse war es aber oftmals schwierig, archäologische nachgewiesene Bestattungen eindeutig der Pest zuzuweisen – vor allem in Gegenden, wo schriftliche Überlieferungen, die die Pest erwähnen, fehlen. Die Analyse alter DNA erlaubt es nun, die Opfer der Pest eindeutig im archäologischen Befund zu identifizieren. In diesem Artikel sollen daher die ersten bekannten Beispiele von durch aDNA-Analyse bestätigten Pestgräbern aus Deutschland aus dem frühen Mittelalter, dem späten Mittelalter und dem 30-jährigen Krieg präsentiert und mit einander verglichen werden.
Résumé:
Les épidémies de peste d’autrefois furent surtout transmises à travers les écrits. Ce sont particulièrement la peste de Justinien du haut Moyen Age et la Peste noire du bas Moyen Age qui firent l’objet de récits hauts en couleur. Cependant, l’attribution à la peste de sépultures identifiées par l’archéologie était souvent difficile avant l’introduction de l’analyse de l’ADNa – surtout dans les régions dépourvues de sources écrites mentionnant la peste. L’analyse d’ADN ancien permet maintenant d’identifier avec certitude les victimes de la peste dans un contexte archéologique. Cet article voudrait donc présenter les premiers exemples connus en Allemagne de tombes de pestiférés du haut Moyen Age, du bas Moyen Age et de la guerre de Trente Ans vérifiées par l’analyse de l’ADNa, et qui seront comparées les unes aux autres. Cette contribution voudrait plaider pour une approche différenciée des rites funéraires, particulièrement lorsque plusieurs pestiférés furent ensevelis dans la même tombe. On veut en outre montrer les conclusions possibles, qui peuvent être tirées à partir des tombes de pestiférés identifiées par l’analyse de l’ADNa, pour les différentes stratégies suivies autrefois par les sociétés en vue de gérer des catastrophes comme les épidémies.
Abstract:
Plague outbreaks in the past are mainly known from written sources; in particular, the Justinianic Plague of the Early Middle Ages and the Black Death of the Late Middle Ages have been described in vivid detail. Yet prior to the introduction of aDNA analysis, it was often quite difficult to associate burials with plague beyond doubt – especially in areas where written evidence of the plague is scarce. As analysis of ancient DNA now allows the detection of plague victims in the archaeological record, new ways are being developed for combining archaeological, historical and ancient DNA research. In this paper we would like to present and compare known examples of plague graves from the Early Middle Ages, the Late Middle Ages and the Thirty Years’ War in Germany that have also been confirmed by ancient DNA analyses. We would like to argue for a differentiated view of the burial customs, especially when more than one plague victim shared a grave, and would like to show possible conclusions, drawn from the aDNA-confirmed plague burials, that can indicate the different strategies adopted by ancient societies to deal with catastrophic events like a pandemic disease.
Quellenangabe: Praehistorische Zeitschrift, Band 92, Heft 2, Seiten 405–427, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/pz-2017-0018
Publications (not peer reviewed) by Marcel Keller
ancient Y. pestis genomes is able to uncover the geographical and temporal extent of the pandemic beyond the limitations of written sources; and phylogenetic studies allow for inferences on the origin and spread of plague through time. But even the mere identification of plague victims in Late Antique and Early Medieval cemeteries offers insights in the crisis management and reactions of past societies to the irruption of the unfathomable, to which historical scholarship – generally based on written sources – has only limited access. However, attempts on the integration of natural scientific research on epidemics and climatic shifts in history are
notoriously accused of determinism or an oversimplification of complex coherencies. Therefore, mutual understanding of methodologies and epistemologies of different disciplines is a fundamental prerequisite to avoid simplistic causal inferences from correlations and circular
arguments, and lead to a better understanding of the Justinianic Plague and accompanying processes through an integrative approach.
der die Welt in Atem hält? Und was verrät der genetische Stammbaum des Bakteriums über die Verbreitungswege der Seuche? Die Antwort auf diese Fragen liefert die Archäogenetik.
Für den Grabenabschnitt lassen sich drei bis vier Nutzungsphasen sowie eine Neuanlage des Grabens nachweisen; für die zeitliche Einordnung der Bestattungen sind mehrere Szenarien denkbar. Die Verwandtschaftsanalysen legen nahe, dass die beiden erwachsenen Männer der Mehrfachbestattung Brüder waren, worauf die morphologischen Untersuchungen ebenfalls hindeuten. Auch unter den mitbestatteten Kindern könnten sich Geschwisterpaare
befinden, was sich aufgrund der mangelhaften DNA-Erhaltung aber nicht eindeutig klären lässt. Die Isotopendaten lassen auf einen wesentlichen Anteil von Frischwasserfisch am Nahrungsspektrum der Individuen schließen. Ein Residenzwechsel lässt sich für keines der Individuen nachweisen.
Preprints by Marcel Keller
Magazine Articles by Marcel Keller
Vergangene Pestepidemien wurden vor allem in schriftlichen Quellen überliefert; insbesondere die Justinianische Pest des frühen Mittelalters und der Schwarze Tod des späten Mittelalters wurden dort in lebendigen Farben beschrieben. Vor der Einführung der aDNA-Analyse war es aber oftmals schwierig, archäologische nachgewiesene Bestattungen eindeutig der Pest zuzuweisen – vor allem in Gegenden, wo schriftliche Überlieferungen, die die Pest erwähnen, fehlen. Die Analyse alter DNA erlaubt es nun, die Opfer der Pest eindeutig im archäologischen Befund zu identifizieren. In diesem Artikel sollen daher die ersten bekannten Beispiele von durch aDNA-Analyse bestätigten Pestgräbern aus Deutschland aus dem frühen Mittelalter, dem späten Mittelalter und dem 30-jährigen Krieg präsentiert und mit einander verglichen werden.
Résumé:
Les épidémies de peste d’autrefois furent surtout transmises à travers les écrits. Ce sont particulièrement la peste de Justinien du haut Moyen Age et la Peste noire du bas Moyen Age qui firent l’objet de récits hauts en couleur. Cependant, l’attribution à la peste de sépultures identifiées par l’archéologie était souvent difficile avant l’introduction de l’analyse de l’ADNa – surtout dans les régions dépourvues de sources écrites mentionnant la peste. L’analyse d’ADN ancien permet maintenant d’identifier avec certitude les victimes de la peste dans un contexte archéologique. Cet article voudrait donc présenter les premiers exemples connus en Allemagne de tombes de pestiférés du haut Moyen Age, du bas Moyen Age et de la guerre de Trente Ans vérifiées par l’analyse de l’ADNa, et qui seront comparées les unes aux autres. Cette contribution voudrait plaider pour une approche différenciée des rites funéraires, particulièrement lorsque plusieurs pestiférés furent ensevelis dans la même tombe. On veut en outre montrer les conclusions possibles, qui peuvent être tirées à partir des tombes de pestiférés identifiées par l’analyse de l’ADNa, pour les différentes stratégies suivies autrefois par les sociétés en vue de gérer des catastrophes comme les épidémies.
Abstract:
Plague outbreaks in the past are mainly known from written sources; in particular, the Justinianic Plague of the Early Middle Ages and the Black Death of the Late Middle Ages have been described in vivid detail. Yet prior to the introduction of aDNA analysis, it was often quite difficult to associate burials with plague beyond doubt – especially in areas where written evidence of the plague is scarce. As analysis of ancient DNA now allows the detection of plague victims in the archaeological record, new ways are being developed for combining archaeological, historical and ancient DNA research. In this paper we would like to present and compare known examples of plague graves from the Early Middle Ages, the Late Middle Ages and the Thirty Years’ War in Germany that have also been confirmed by ancient DNA analyses. We would like to argue for a differentiated view of the burial customs, especially when more than one plague victim shared a grave, and would like to show possible conclusions, drawn from the aDNA-confirmed plague burials, that can indicate the different strategies adopted by ancient societies to deal with catastrophic events like a pandemic disease.
Quellenangabe: Praehistorische Zeitschrift, Band 92, Heft 2, Seiten 405–427, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/pz-2017-0018
ancient Y. pestis genomes is able to uncover the geographical and temporal extent of the pandemic beyond the limitations of written sources; and phylogenetic studies allow for inferences on the origin and spread of plague through time. But even the mere identification of plague victims in Late Antique and Early Medieval cemeteries offers insights in the crisis management and reactions of past societies to the irruption of the unfathomable, to which historical scholarship – generally based on written sources – has only limited access. However, attempts on the integration of natural scientific research on epidemics and climatic shifts in history are
notoriously accused of determinism or an oversimplification of complex coherencies. Therefore, mutual understanding of methodologies and epistemologies of different disciplines is a fundamental prerequisite to avoid simplistic causal inferences from correlations and circular
arguments, and lead to a better understanding of the Justinianic Plague and accompanying processes through an integrative approach.
der die Welt in Atem hält? Und was verrät der genetische Stammbaum des Bakteriums über die Verbreitungswege der Seuche? Die Antwort auf diese Fragen liefert die Archäogenetik.
Für den Grabenabschnitt lassen sich drei bis vier Nutzungsphasen sowie eine Neuanlage des Grabens nachweisen; für die zeitliche Einordnung der Bestattungen sind mehrere Szenarien denkbar. Die Verwandtschaftsanalysen legen nahe, dass die beiden erwachsenen Männer der Mehrfachbestattung Brüder waren, worauf die morphologischen Untersuchungen ebenfalls hindeuten. Auch unter den mitbestatteten Kindern könnten sich Geschwisterpaare
befinden, was sich aufgrund der mangelhaften DNA-Erhaltung aber nicht eindeutig klären lässt. Die Isotopendaten lassen auf einen wesentlichen Anteil von Frischwasserfisch am Nahrungsspektrum der Individuen schließen. Ein Residenzwechsel lässt sich für keines der Individuen nachweisen.
The session shall address various questions, among which:
- What are the new lines of research and future perspectives in paleopathological and palaeomicrobiological study of these diseases?
- What information paleobiological data derived from skeletal assemblages can provide on the epidemiological characteristics of the diseases?
- What was the endemicity of diseases in various places, how did they evolve over time, and how did various diseases competed each other?
- How funerary archaeology and textual sources contributes to reappraise the history of these diseases (e.g. attitudes towards the victims in terms of their integration and/or exclusion, depending on the time period and cultural framework)?
- Which methodological implementation would be desirable in the future to allow retrospective diagnosis of still poorly-known diseases (e.g. ergotism)?
Theme 5: Science and multidisciplinarity in archaeology
Grâce à des recherches innovantes, l’histoire de la peste peut aujourd’hui être retracée sur plusieurs millénaires. À Domat/Ems (GR), près de l’église Sogn Pieder, un cimetière a été mis au jour il y a plus de 45 ans. Il était déjà évident alors que beaucoup des défunts avaient été enterrés dans des tombes multiples, sans doute victimes d’une épidémie. Des études interdisciplinaires montrent désormais qu’il s’agit de soldats de l’époque de la guerre de Trente ans, morts de la peste autour de 1630.
Grazie a delle nuove ricerche, la storia della peste può essere essere ricostruita sull’arco di diversi millenni. A Domat/Ems (GR), più di 45 anni fa, è stato scavato un cimitero vicino alla chiesa di Sogn Pieder. Già allora era risultato evidente che molti dei morti erano stati sepolti in tombe collettive e che erano probabilmente vittime di un' epidemia. Dei recenti studi interdisciplinari hanno permesso di dimostrare che si trattava di soldati dell'epoca della guerra dei 30 anni morti di peste verso il 1630.