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Dating the Justinianic Plague in England

Integrating historical and archaeological data on the early Cambridgeshire region

Bibliographic Data

ID11614460
AuthorsJoselyn Hines (0000-0002-0440-6214, Cardiff University, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume181
Issue2
Pages243-267
Publication date2024-07-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArchaeological Journal (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0066-5983 • E-ISSN: 2373-2288
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00665983.2024.2419157
OpenAlexW4404712562
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited16

Archaeogenetic analysis has retrieved evidence of the presence of Yersinia pestis, the pathogen of bubonic plague, from graves in the Early Anglo-Saxon cemetery at Edix Hill, Cambridgeshire. Associated grave goods there, and some radiocarbon dates from Germany, suggested that the plague may have been present before the historically recorded outbreak of the 540s known as the Justinianic Plague. Targeted high-precision radiocarbon dating, however, largely confirms the conventional historical chronology. Concurrent re-examination of multiple methodological and empirical issues informatively reveals complex issues within radiocarbon data, and significant disjunctions in the phased sequence of both female and male accoutrements in this part of Anglo-Saxon England across the middle of the sixth century, when the populations were also having to accommodate themselves to the onset of the Late Antique Little Ice Age

Archaeology · Geography · Plague (disease · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Archaeology and Historical Studies · History · Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research

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    Open Access•Johannes Preiser-Kapeller, William A Mcgrath et al.•Human Ecology•2025

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    Open Access•David M Wagner, Jennifer Klunk et al.•The Lancet Infectious Diseases•2014

  • I.— The Distribution of the Angles and Saxons Archaeologically Considered

    Open Access•E T Leeds•Archaeologia•1945

  • The Justinianic plague revisited

    Open Access•Dionysios Stathakopoulos•Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies•2000

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    Michael Mccormick•Speculum•2021

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  • Viewpoint New Approaches to the 'Plague of Justinian

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Unique citing works3
Citations per year3
Citation span2025 - 2026 (2)
Citation velocitycurrent
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 3
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