Dying of pestilence: Stature and mortality from the Black Death in 14th-century Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

Objectives

Bioarchaeological studies have provided important information about mortality patterns during the second pandemic of plague, including the Black Death, but most to date have focused on European contexts. This study represents a spatial contribution to plague bioarchaeology, focusing on Central Asia, the origin of the second pandemic. We examine the relationship between stature and plague mortality during an outbreak of plague at Kara-Djigach in northern Kyrgyzstan in 1338–1339, the earliest archaeological site known to contain victims of the Black Death in Eurasia.

Methods

This study uses epigraphic data and in situ measurements from the Syriac Christian cemeteries at Kara-Djigach, obtained from field notes from excavations conducted by Russian archaeologists in the 1880s (n = 34 individuals). The epigraphic data provide detailed information about the interred individuals, including occupations, year of death, and gender. In situ measurements provide data on adult stature. This study uses chi-square and Fisher's exact tests to examine relationships between stature and plague at the site.

Results

We find evidence that relatively short people were disproportionately affected by plague when compared with non-plague years.

Discussion

These results might reflect increased mortality risks from plague based on exposure to early life biological stress events.