In a discovery that intertwines archaeology, art history, and medicine, a 2nd-century AD bronze figurine unearthed in Bracara Augusta, now Braga in northern Portugal, may provide evidence of a rare genetic condition known as Crouzon syndrome. The figurine, recovered during archaeological excavations on Mount Cividade, exhibits intriguing facial features, including exophthalmos (protruding eyes), exotropia (eye […]
Diseases
Posted inMedieval Archaeology
Decline of the Eastern Roman Empire Was Not Caused by Plagues and Climate Change in 6th Century AD, But Rather Experienced a Population Boom
A recent study published in the journal Klio by researchers Haggai Olshanetsky, from the University of Warsaw, and Lev Cosijns, from the University of Oxford, analyzes the true causes of the decline of the Eastern Roman Empire. Traditionally, it has been believed that natural factors, such as the Late Antique Little Ice Age (LALIA) and […]
Posted inAncient Rome
Antonine Plague, the First Pandemic that Devastated the Roman Empire and that the Physician Galen Tried to Treat with Milk
A terrible epidemic swept through the Roman Empire in the second half of the 2nd century, between 165 and 180 AD, claiming nearly five million lives—ten percent of the population. That fifteen-year period represented the most serious public health problem in the history of Ancient Rome—with the exception of the Justinian plague—and some historians believe […]
Posted inStone Age Archaeology
Megalithic Structures Are Not Mass Graves of Plague Victims from a Neolithic Outbreak
When we think of deadly pandemics, the plague often comes to mind, especially because of the devastation it caused during the Middle Ages. However, new research has revealed that the plague-causing bacterium, Yersinia pestis, has existed in Central and Northern Europe for more than 5,000 years. Scientists have wondered if this bacterium, even in its […]
Posted inMiddle Ages, Modern Era
Sweating Sickness, the Enigmatic and Lethal Disease that Ravaged England between the 15th and 16th Centuries and Disappeared as Mysteriously as it Arrived
It seemed like flu, but it was much faster and deadlier because it killed the patient within a few hours; it has been compared to relapsing fever, but that, caused by tick or louse bites, causes a local black crust that was not present in this case; there is speculation about an infection by hantavirus, […]
Posted inScience
Researchers Discover Antimicrobial Properties of Tomato Juice Can Eliminate Salmonella
A recent study published in Microbiology Spectrum, the journal of the American Society for Microbiology, has found that tomato juice is effective at killing Salmonella Typhi and other enteric pathogens that can damage the digestive and urinary tract health. Salmonella Typhi is a specific human pathogen that causes typhoid fever. The research team, led by […]
Posted inAntiquity, Science
Dementia Was Extremely Rare in Ancient Greece and Rome, Suggesting Sedentary Lifestyles and Pollution are to Blame
A recent analysis from researchers at the University of Southern California has found that medical texts from 2500 years ago rarely mentioned severe memory loss, suggesting that widespread dementia seen today may be linked to modern environments and lifestyles. It’s commonly thought that age-related dementia has always existed, dating back to ancient times. However, this […]
Posted inArchaeology
Remains of a Woman with Rheumatoid Arthritis Unearthed in Aswan, the Oldest Known Case in Ancient Egypt
Italian and Polish researchers have made a significant discovery in the necropolis of Sheikh Muhammad, located in Aswan, Egypt. In one of the excavated tombs, they found the skeletal remains of a young woman displaying clear signs of having suffered from rheumatoid arthritis. This marks the first diagnosed case of this inflammatory disease in ancient […]
Posted inPre-Columbian Era, Science
Researchers Discover that Syphilis-like Diseases Were Widespread in the Americas Before Columbus’ Arrival
Scientists have made an amazing discovery that sheds new light on the history of an important disease. Researchers from the universities of Basel and Zurich in Switzerland found the genetic material of the pathogen Treponema pallidum in the bones of people who died in Brazil around 2,000 years ago. This is the oldest confirmed discovery […]
