Plague

World's oldest plague mass grave found beneath Roman racetrack in Jordan - study

According to the study, the grave predates the Black Death burial pits from medieval Europe by approximately 800 years.

|ByMIRIAM SELA-EITAM
People stand before the Roman-era South Gate, was built in honour of the Roman Emperor Hadrian on the occasion of his visit circa 130 CE, is pictured at the Roman ruins of Jerash in northern Jordan on April 29, 2026.
Statue of a mans head wearing headphones.

The high price of not listening: What Pharaoh teaches us about power and humility

Pharaoh ignored every warning until his nation collapsed. His mistake isn’t ancient, it’s painfully familiar today.

|ByMOSHE TARAGIN
IDF published footage of the location in Sanaa where IAF conducted an airstrike, killing 12 senior Houthi figures.

IDF confirms at least 12 senior Houthi terror leaders were killed in Sanaa strikes

In addition, Defense Minister Israel Katz threatened the Yemeni terror group with "all ten plagues," following the third missile launch in approximately 24 hours.

|ByYONAH JEREMY BOB
Giant Egyptian locust found in Cornwall.

Saharan wind carries Egyptian locust to UK as concerns grow on potential agricultural plague

The locust, usually found in the Mediterranean and North Africa, is believed to have been swept up with strong winds from the south east and carried to the UK garden.

|ByDANIELLE GREYMAN-KENNARD

DNA confirms Yersinia pestis as cause of the first recorded pandemic 1,500 years ago

Using ancient DNA from eight teeth under Jerash's Roman hippodrome, scientists date the outbreak to mid-6th–early 7th century, finding nearly identical strains from a fast, deadly wave.

AUGUST 31, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
A researcher holds a Jerash tooth used to help identify the origin of the first plague.

Harvard researcher: Ancient livestock may have carried plague across Eurasia

Study by Max Planck Institute and partners detects the late neolithic bronze age plague strain in a 4,000-year-old Arkaim sheep, linking human and animal infections.

AUGUST 12, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Archaeological sheep bones unveiled at a Bronze Age site in the Eurasian steppe. Ancient animal bones are the key to understanding the origins of zoonotic infectious diseases.