There was no clear explanation as to how the pandemic originated, despite its vast demographic and societal impacts. Mainly affecting Afro-Eurasia in the years of 1346-1353, t he origins of the Black Death, or the Bubonic Plague, can now be traced back to Central Asia based on the ancient Yersinia pestis genomes that have been obtained and studied. Overview The plague arrived in the Mediterranean sea through ships from lands located in the Black Sea (in 1347). It then dispersed throughout Europe, north Africa, and the Middle East almost instantaneously, exterminating close to 60% of the society. This multi-national outbreak became known as the Black Death, and would turn into a pandemic that lasted for 500 years, until the turn of the 19th century. Where did it originate? The origins of this epidemic is not well-known. The most widespread theories suggest it originated in China, but this counters archaeological evidence, which traces the disease back to Central Asia, close t...
Using anthropology to address today's challenges