First glimpse of infectious diseases in medieval and early modern Estonia based on human osteological material

This paper deals with infectious diseases reflected on human skeletal remains from the period of the Northern Crusades in Estonia, i.e. from the 13th until the end of the 18th century. Skeletons from the Medieval and Early Modern Periods are considered together, as most of the pathologies detected on them are characteristic of both periods. This article gives a preliminary overview of infectious diseases â leprosy, venereal syphilis and tuberculosis â in Estonian osteological material, based on bone material and also written sources

Dietary habits in medieval and early modern Estonia: evidence from stable isotope analysis

New stable carbon and nitrogen isotopic analyses from medieval and early modern sites across Estonia demonstrate systematic differences in the dietary habits of people from various locations and social groups. These results are compared with previously published isotopic data from similar contexts to identify the type and origin of dietary items, specifically in terms of aquatic resource consumption. Distinction between protein sources is, however, complicated by the high degree of isotopic variation among aquatic ecosystems and the fact that resources from multiple habitats were routinely exploited, resulting in a mixing of the isotopic signal. Nitrogen isotopic ratios display variations in the consumption of higher trophic level protein (such as fish), differentiating between rural, urban and elite individuals, as well as between males and females. Carbon isotopic ratios show a clear distinction between humans from coastal and inland sites, likely reflecting the importance of Baltic Sea fish to coastal communities. However, the exact quantification of aquatic resources into the diets of historic period people in the region needs further work

Ancient Bacterial Genomes Reveal a High Diversity of Treponema pallidum Strains in Early Modern Europe

Syphilis is a globally re-emerging disease, which has marked European history with a devastating epidemic at the end of the 15th century. Together with non-venereal treponemal diseases, like bejel and yaws, which are found today in subtropical and tropical regions, it currently poses a substantial health threat worldwide. The origins and spread of treponemal diseases remain unresolved, including syphilis' potential introduction into Europe from the Americas. Here, we present the first genetic data from archaeological human remains reflecting a high diversity of Treponema pallidumin early modern Europe. Our study demonstrates that a variety of strains related to both venereal syphilis and yaws-causing T. pallidum subspecies were already present in Northern Europe in the early modern period. We also discovered a previously unknown T. pallidum lineage recovered as a sister group to yaws- and bejel-causing lineages. These findings imply a more complex pattern of geographical distribution and etiology of early treponemal epidemics than previously understood.Peer reviewe

Ancient Bacterial Genomes Reveal a High Diversity of Treponema pallidum Strains in Early Modern Europe

Syphilis is a globally re-emerging disease, which has marked European history with a devastating epidemic at the end of the 15th century. Together with non-venereal treponemal diseases, like bejel and yaws, which are found today in subtropical and tropical regions, it currently poses a substantial health threat worldwide. The origins and spread of treponemal diseases remain unresolved, including syphilis' potential introduction into Europe from the Americas. Here, we present the first genetic data from archaeological human remains reflecting a high diversity of Treponema pallidumin early modern Europe. Our study demonstrates that a variety of strains related to both venereal syphilis and yaws-causing T. pallidum subspecies were already present in Northern Europe in the early modern period. We also discovered a previously unknown T. pallidum lineage recovered as a sister group to yaws- and bejel-causing lineages. These findings imply a more complex pattern of geographical distribution and etiology of early treponemal epidemics than previously understood

Children of the grave: Investigating non-adult feeding practices in medieval and early modern Estonia through stable isotope analysis /

Studying infant diet and feeding practices through stable isotope analysis provides direct insight into the life and health of vulnerable population groups in the past. Although the gen- eral diet in medieval and early modern Livonia has been reconstructed from written sources, little is known about childhood diet during this tumultuous period of Eastern European his- tory. This study presents a comparative investigation of the staple non-adult diet in urban/ rural communities during the 13th-17th centuries AD, with a special focus on feeding prac- tices. We aim to reveal the impact of socio-economic circumstances on early childhood nutrition, which affects the physical development and overall survival of this susceptible pop- ulation group. Bone collagen samples from 176 individuals between the fetal and the 7–15 age categories from four urban/rural South-Estonian cemeteries were cross-sectionally analyzed via EA-IRMS (Elemental Analysis with Isotope Ratio Mass Spectroscopy) for δ13C and δ15N. Results suggest that South-Estonian children had a staple terrestrial C3 diet inte- grated with animal proteins. Significant divergences were observed between urban and rural sites and slight variation occurred among rural subgroups, possibly resulting from a wider food choice available in towns, different consumption of C4 foods, and/or secular changes. This study provides the first data regarding infant feeding practices in medieval and early modern Livonia. These practices were similar among the different contexts, indi- cating comparable cultural traditions in child rearing. Breastfeeding was likely practiced for 1–2 years, with supplementary foods introduced around 1 year of age. The weaning process was probably concluded around the age of 3. The δ13C and δ15N values of older children are comparable to those of the adults from the same sites, indicating their diets became sim- ilar after weaning, when they started working and obtained a more mature social status

Ancient plague genomes of the Second Pandemic from Estonia and Western Russia

Until 2020, the Baltic region was a blank spot on the map of ancient Yersinia pestis genomes of the so-called Second Pandemic (14th-18th century). Since then, publications of genomes from Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia partially filled this gap, offering valuable insights into the involvement and role of the Baltic region in this pandemic. However, they still need to be integrated into a single phylogenetic tree and coherent narrative. As part of an ongoing palaeogenetic project on Medieval Estonia, we screened several regular burial sites as well as mass graves and multiple burials for pathogens and were able to identify plague victims in five sites in Estonia and one in Western Russia (Pskov oblast), dating to the 14th to 18th centuries. Taken together with the previously published data, we can observe how plague waves repeatedly ravaged through the Baltic region, complementing our knowledge from written sources. The rapid spread of single bacterial lineages suggests furthermore the importance of maritime and inland trade through the Hanseatic League. Nevertheless, also rural sites were not spared from repeated outbreaks, as we could show for the site of Mäletjärve (Eastern Estonia). Moreover, we observe a prominent role of the Baltic region in a diversification event in the phylogeny of Y. pestis in the 15th or early 16th century which still lacks a precise date or clear association with historically reported outbreaks. Coming upon a population weakened by years of war and famine, one of the most notorious outbreaks known as the Plague of the Great Northern War affected almost all urban centers in the Baltic region in between 1709 and 1713. Supposedly, it caused mortality rates outnumbering even those of the Black Death in the region (1349-1351). Complementing the published genome from Sweden, we were able to sequence two more genomes of this outbreak from Tallinn and its periphery, most likely dating to the siege of Tallinn in 1710. In conclusion, our newly generated Y. pestis genomes and those recently published for the Baltic region opened a window to the history of plague in Northeastern Europe, so far only reconstructable from historical reports. Funding: ASTRA 2014-2020.4.01.16-0030, PRG243, PRG102