This is an initial “take” on the research design and implications of the findings announced, in pre-print, of the new aDNA Yersinia pestis genomes retrieved by Jiang et al. 2024 from the 7th-century mass burials under the collapsed hippodrome at Gerasa/Jerash, Jordan. The significance of this study lies not simply in presenting 8 new genomes from a major site of the Justinianic Plague, but in recalibrating the entire phylogeny of Yersinia pestis since the Late Neolithic. Since the pre-print was released with only partial identification of the genomes used for the study, the present analysis is concerned to propose tentative identifications of those strains and to speculate about the implications of the study as a whole for the general narratives of the three plague pandemics: the Justinianic Plague, the Black Death/2nd Plague Pandemic, and the Third (modern) Plague Pandemic. A full list of references is included, as are three appendices.

For the time being, this item will be embargoed. If you feel you have good reason, you are welcome to write to inquire about access (monica.h.green@gmail.com).