Medieval History
Skeletons don?t lie. But sometimes they may mislead, as in the case of bones that reputedly showed evidence of syphilis in Europe and other parts of the Old World before Christopher Columbus made his historic voyage in 1492.
None of this skeletal evidence, including 54 published reports, holds up when subjected to standardized analyses for both diagnosis and dating, according to an appraisal in the current Yearbook of Physical Anthropology. In fact, the skeletal data bolsters the case that syphilis did not exist in Europe before Columbus set sail.
?This is the first time that all 54 of these cases have been evaluated systematically,? says George Armelagos, an anthropologist at Emory University and co-author of the appraisal. ?The evidence keeps accumulating that a progenitor of syphilis came from the New World with Columbus? crew and rapidly evolved into the venereal disease that remains with us today.?
Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net
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Medieval History
Skeletons point to Columbus voyage for syphilis origins
Skeletons don?t lie. But sometimes they may mislead, as in the case of bones that reputedly showed evidence of syphilis in Europe and other parts of the Old World before Christopher Columbus made his historic voyage in 1492.
None of this skeletal evidence, including 54 published reports, holds up when subjected to standardized analyses for both diagnosis and dating, according to an appraisal in the current Yearbook of Physical Anthropology. In fact, the skeletal data bolsters the case that syphilis did not exist in Europe before Columbus set sail.
?This is the first time that all 54 of these cases have been evaluated systematically,? says George Armelagos, an anthropologist at Emory University and co-author of the appraisal. ?The evidence keeps accumulating that a progenitor of syphilis came from the New World with Columbus? crew and rapidly evolved into the venereal disease that remains with us today.?
Click here to read this article from Medievalists.net
- Ancient Roman Giant Found?oldest Complete Skeleton With Gigantism
It's no tall tale?the first complete ancient skeleton of a person with gigantism has been discovered near Rome, a new study says. At 6 feet, 8 inches (202 centimeters) tall, the man would have been a giant in third-century A.D. Rome, where men averaged...
- Anthropologist Compares Medieval Lives, Pre- And Post-black Death
Each time Sharon DeWitte takes a 3-foot by 1-foot archival box off the shelf at the Museum of London she hopes it will be heavy. ?Heavy means you know you have a relatively complete skeleton,? said DeWitte, an anthropologist at the University of South...
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The bones of a soldier with leprosy who may have died in battle have been found in a medieval Italian cemetery, along with skeletons of men who survived blows to the head with battle-axes and maces. Studying ancient leprosy, which is caused by a bacterial...
- Christopher Columbus Was The Son Of A Polish King, Historian Says
Christopher Columbus was a royal prince, son of a Portuguese noble lady and exiled Polish King W?adys?aw III, according to Columbus? new biography, COLON. La Historia Nunca Contada (COLUMBUS. The Untold Story), by Manuel Rosa, just released in Spain....
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