Crossrail Archaeology: Charterhouse Square skeletons confirmed as Black Death victims

Описание: New research on skeletons found during construction of Europe's largest construction project in London reveals many died of plague during the 14th Century Black Death pandemic while others died during later plague outbreaks.

Twenty-five skeletons were uncovered in London's Charterhouse Square in Farringdon during Crossrail construction works in March 2013. It provided the first evidence of the location of London's second Black Death emergency burial ground established in 1348 and referenced in historical records as being in what is now modern day Farringdon.

Due to the burial ground's historical importance to London, exceptional levels of research analysis has taken place on the skeletons to understand the life and death of Londoners affected by the Black Death.

From the skeletons' teeth, scientists have found traces of the DNA of the Yersinia pestis bacterium which was responsible for the Black Death plague, confirming the individuals had contact with the deadly disease prior to their death.

Key radio carbon-14 dating has revealed at least two distinct periods of burials, the earliest is within the period of the Black Death in 1348-50, followed by a later period dating from the early to mid 1400s. Archaeologists observed the different layers of burials during excavation. Together with the presence of the plague-causing Yersinia pestis bacterium in skeletons across both layers of burials, it shows the cemetery was used for two separate plague events between 1348 and the 1430s.

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Video released in 2014