Archaeological remains of victims of epidemics 'Apocalypse Day' Egypt

Archaeologists excavate the remains of horrific plague victims described as "The Apocalypse is coming".

Recently, the Italian archaeological group of the Archaeological Mission project in Luxor has unearthed the remains of the Harwa and Akhimenru Tomb Complex, in the ancient west city of Thebes (now Luxor), Egypt. Besides the remains, the experts also found 3 lime kilns, along with giant ash ash tanks.

Through research, these remains are covered with a layer of lime (antiseptic for antiquity) on the surface. Estimates, these remains are in the third century. At this time, a series of epidemics known as the Cyprian epidemic were sweeping across the ancient Roman empire, including Egypt.

St. Cyprian, bishop of Carthage (Tunisia) described the sign of disease as the Apocalypse. The plague lasts 21 years, from 250-271 years. Based on a number of notes, Francesco Tiradritti - the project director said, in Rome alone there are more than 5,000 deaths / day.

The number of deaths increased, ancient Egyptians used tombs as burial places, such as Akhimenru's mausoleum or Harwa's mausoleum. After the epidemic Cyprian appeared, the tomb complex became a place to destroy dead bodies. Tiradritti said that this action made the tomb less pure and prestigious, leaving them abandoned until those who stole the tomb "visited" in the nineteenth century.

According to the record, the plague causes the victim's intestine to writhe before dying; continuous vomiting and diarrhea can not be held, causing the force to be drained quickly despite being the strongest.

The patient's throat was burned, due to the marrow's wounds spreading to his throat. In addition, St. Cyprian describes: 'the patient's eyes are red like fire, eye bleeding .'.

Some cases of limbs are infected, necrosis and must be removed. The level of danger and the terrible size of the epidemic caused Cyprian to believe that the Apocalypse was coming.

But in fact, this "Apocalypse" did not happen. The plague was repelled but significantly weakened the Roman Empire. Translation Cyprian killed 2 emperors: Hostilian in 251 and Emperor Claudius II Gothicus in 270. According to Tiradritti, there are many opinions that this epidemic has seriously affected the Roman empire, contribute to speeding up its demise.

Based on modern science, the Cyprian epidemic is likely to be a form of smallpox, bubonic plague or measles. The discovery of the infected human body during this period may provide new research materials for archeology.

Although a lot of researchers had previously isolated DNA from mummies, Tiradritti said that the result was unreliable by the Egyptian environment, causing DNA sequences to be completely destroyed.