The Prehistoric Plague

The Prehistoric Plague

The first ever outbreak of 'plague' - Yersinia Pestis, the most feared disease in human history - was long thought to be the Plague of Justinian in 541 AD. But new studies of ancient DNA have revealed traces of Yesinia Pestis dating back more than 5,000 years.


In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Laura Spinney to explore the origins of prehistoric plague. How did this pestilence emerge to blight the Neolithic world? Where did it come from? And could it have triggered a Stone Age collapse which signalled the dawn of the Bronze Age in Europe? Discover how this deadly pathogen reshaped entire Stone Age societies, long before the advent of written history.


MORE

Did Plague Destroy the Roman Empire?

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify


The Birth of Indo-European

Listen on Apple

Listen on Spotify


Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Aidan Lonergan. The producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.


Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.


Audio for Uploader:

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Det här avsnittet är hämtat från ett öppet RSS-flöde och publiceras inte av Podme. Det kan innehålla reklam.

Avsnitt(632)

Boudica and the Iceni

Boudica and the Iceni

In 60 AD Roman Britain was very nearly brought to the brink. Cities burned, authority crumbled, and for a brief moment one woman challenged the might of the Roman Empire. Her name was Boudica.Today, T...

18 Juni 56min

The Cambrian Explosion: When Life Began?

The Cambrian Explosion: When Life Began?

538 million years ago, life on Earth changed forever. In an evolutionary burst known as the Cambrian Explosion, complex animals rapidly appeared in the oceans, laying the foundations for almost every ...

14 Juni 1h

The Pharisees

The Pharisees

The Pharisees are one of the most familiar names in the ancient world, but are they also one of the most misunderstood?Tristan Hughes is joined by Dr Helen Bond to step back into first-century Judea, ...

11 Juni 47min

The Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone

In July 1799, French soldiers unearthed a stone that would transform our understanding of the ancient world. Discovered in a fort at Rashid, the Rosetta Stone became the key to deciphering Egypt’s lon...

7 Juni 44min

Neanderthal Art

Neanderthal Art

Fifty thousand years ago, Neanderthal artists in Ice Age Europe painted symbols and handprints deep inside caves, leaving behind some of the oldest known art on the continent. These discoveries are tr...

4 Juni 1h 8min

Spartacus

Spartacus

In 73 BC, a gladiator escaped slavery and launched a rebellion that shook the Roman Republic to its core. His name was Spartacus, and his uprising became one of the greatest threats Rome had ever face...

31 Maj 1h 16min

The Fall of Hadrian's Wall

The Fall of Hadrian's Wall

When the Romans left Britain in the early 5th century AD, Hadrian’s Wall did not simply collapse into ruin. Its forts and ramparts endured, becoming strongholds for the communities who continued to li...

28 Maj 1h 15min

Iron Age Britain

Iron Age Britain

What if Iron Age Britain was never a land of barbarians at all, but a world of skilled farmers, powerful women, trade, ritual, and spectacle? Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Tom Moore to reveal ...

24 Maj 59min

Populärt inom Historia

motiv
kod-katastrof
p3-historia
massmordarpodden
historiska-brott
olosta-mord
historiepodden-se
rss-historien-om-2
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
rss-brottsligt
rss-massmordarpodden
konspirationsteorier
nu-blir-det-historia
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
mannen-utan-spar
militarhistoriepodden
rss-konspirationsteorier
bedragare
krigshistoriepodden
vetenskapsradion-historia