Home / HealthHealthThe New York TimesHealthThe New York Times·Jun 17, 2026·1 min readA Deadly Outbreak of Plague, Nearly 5,000 Years Before the Black DeathThe oldest known cases, discovered among hunter-gatherers in Siberian graves, contradict the theory that the disease once was mild.View original source — The New York Times ↗ShareCopy linkShare on XShare on FacebookRelated storiesScienceCBCScienceJun 17, 2026 · 1 minEarliest outbreak of the plague killed hunter-gatherer kids 5,500 years agoCBCHealthNatureHealthJun 17, 2026 · 1 minLethal plague outbreaks in Lake Baikal hunter-gatherers 5,500 years agoNatureScienceSouth China Morning PostScienceJun 18, 2026 · 1 minOur ancient enemy: scientists discover oldest-known plague outbreakSouth China Morning PostScienceCBCScienceJun 17, 2026 · 1 minWhat killed these children 5,500 years ago? It was literally the plagueCBC
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