The Ancients The Prehistoric Plague
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May 3, 2026 
Laura Spinney, science journalist and author who studies pandemics, discusses ancient DNA evidence of Yersinia pestis over 5,000 years ago. She outlines how prehistoric plague was detected, its spread across Eurasia, possible links to Neolithic population shifts, transmission routes without flea adaptation, and how pathogens may have shaped early societies and cultural change.
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Always Test Ancient Samples For Pathogens
- When analysing ancient remains, routinely search for microbial DNA alongside human DNA to unlock disease history.
- Spinney says Copenhagen's practice of sampling petrous bone and teeth made pathogen discovery routine and revealing.
5,000 Years Ago Marked A Pathogen Surge
- A major surge in detectable dangerous pathogens occurred around 5,000 years ago, termed the Late Neolithic Bronze Age plague (LNBA).
- Spinney links that surge to societal shifts at the end of the Neolithic and start of the Bronze Age.
Pathogen Landscape Changed After 4,500 BC
- Before ~4,500 BC ancient samples show mainly normal oral microbiomes; deadly pathogens rise later with a peak ~5,000 years ago.
- This timing undermines the neat idea that all zoonoses began immediately with early farming.