Rats which have been mummified in tar for over 600 years might shed new data on the Black Demise.
One of many deadliest pandemics in human historical past, the plague killed huge swathes of Europeans throughout the 14th century.
And scientists now consider they may very well be on the verge of a significant breakthrough into the pressure that triggered the epidemic.
They’ve found two mummified rats on a just lately excavated shipwreck off Estonia.
In accordance with The Instances, they have been discovered to nonetheless have a “rat-like look” and date again to 1373.
The discover is being broadcasted on Channel 4’s Bettany Hughes’ Treasures of the World on April 13.
Bettany advised The Instances: “A barrel of tar had fallen over and mummified them, in order that they have been preserved in tar.
“You don’t get natural materials like that preserved from the 14th century. It’s nearly remarkable.
“My jaw was on the ground as a result of I used to be not anticipating [the remains] to nonetheless look rat-like.”
It’s hoped the rats will reveal what sailors ate throughout the Black Demise, which might unlock the reason for the illness.
