Of Mummies and Microbes: Archaeology and the Science of Pandemics

From the diseases of the mummies of ancient Egypt and medieval Europe to the preserved remains of mice in the Andes, we will examine what archaeological evidence, historical manuscripts, along with techniques of ancient DNA, tell us about the long history of human disease outbreaks and pandemics. Participants will examine how recently excavated evidence, combined with historical records and new genomic sequencing techniques, are shedding light on the deep history of diseases, like smallpox and other ancient viral and bacterial pathogens. The course will also survey the long history of zoonotic spillover and what archaeological and historical evidence can tell us about the spread of more modern zoonotic diseases like HIV, Ebola, and COVID-19.