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First Evidence of Black Death Discovered in Edinburgh

11/4/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Scientists found the first scientific evidence of the Black Death in Edinburgh on a 14th-century teenage boy.
The remains, excavated in 1981 from St Giles Cathedral, yielded Bubonic plague DNA.
John Lawson, curator of archaeology, says linking this individual to history matters.
The findings broaden understanding of the Black Death, which devastated Europe between 1347 and 1353, killing about 50 million.

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Story summary

Scientists found the first scientific evidence of the Black Death in Edinburgh on a 14th-century teenage boy.
The remains, excavated in 1981 from St Giles Cathedral, yielded Bubonic plague DNA.
John Lawson, curator of archaeology, says linking this individual to history matters.
The findings broaden understanding of the Black Death, which devastated Europe between 1347 and 1353, killing about 50 million.