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Ancient Sheep Reveals Plague's Bronze Age Secrets

8/12/2025

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Summary

Story summary

A groundbreaking study in *Cell* uncovers that a 4,000-year-old sheep from Arkaim, Russia, harbored Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for the plague. This finding highlights the significant role livestock may have played in the spread of an ancient plague lineage, coinciding with heightened human-animal interactions during the Bronze Age. The wild source of the bacterium, however, remains a mystery.

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Story summary

A groundbreaking study in *Cell* uncovers that a 4,000-year-old sheep from Arkaim, Russia, harbored Yersinia pestis, the bacterium responsible for the plague. This finding highlights the significant role livestock may have played in the spread of an ancient plague lineage, coinciding with heightened human-animal interactions during the Bronze Age. The wild source of the bacterium, however, remains a mystery.