Justinian I ruled the Byzantine Empire and left a transformative legacy across law, architecture, and governance. Recent archaeological discoveries using ancient DNA are rewriting the history of the Justinian Plague, a catastrophic pandemic that killed millions between 541-767 and reshaped the medieval world.
·Ancient DNA analysis from mass graves in Jordan and Siberia is solving mysteries about the Justinian Plague's origins and spread
·The plague killed an estimated 25-50 million people, drastically altering Byzantine society and European history
·Justinian's reign saw the codification of Roman law and the construction of the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople
·His wife Theodora wielded significant political power and influenced major imperial decisions
·New genetic evidence reveals plague outbreaks predated the classical Justinian Plague by millennia
drawn from Encyclopedia Britannica, CIDRAP, The European Conservative, BettingPros · updated 9d ago