'Black Death pit' unearthed by Crossrail project

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21784141

Excavations for London's Crossrail project have unearthed bodies believed to date from the time of the Black Death.
A burial ground was known to be in an area outside the City of London, but its exact location remained a mystery.
Thirteen bodies have been found so far in the 5.5m-wide shaft at the edge of Charterhouse Square, alongside pottery dated to the mid-14th Century.
Analysis will shed light on the plague and the Londoners of the day.

It seems that there maybe more archaeology discoveries to be made during the project.

Because of the project's underground scope, significant research was undertaken into the archaeology likely to be found during the course of the construction.
Taken together, the project's 40 sites comprise one of the UK's largest archaeological ventures.
Teams have already discovered skeletons near Liverpool Street, a Bronze-Age transport route, and an array of other finds, including the largest piece of amber ever found in the UK.

At least developers are prepared in this century to allow the archaeologists onto site..I remember a time when there would be a distinct lack of interest or access.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Maggy J

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-21784141



It seems that there maybe more archaeology discoveries to be made during the project.


At least developers are prepared in this century to allow the archaeologists onto site..I remember a time when there would be a distinct lack of interest or access.

They have to by law and have had to let them in for sometime, the kicker is that firms have to pay them for the privilege of being there which is probably why they want them of asap.

[mertle]

can be first ask is any danger releasing this plague

Originally Posted by mertle

can be first ask is any danger releasing this plague

Only if antibiotics have become resistant to it..

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by mertle

can be first ask is any danger releasing this plague

Funnily enough there was an old sanitarium near where we used to live that no one was allowed in due to the nasty infections contained within.

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

That's assuming that the "Black death" was bacterial in nature. On R4 this morning the implication was that it might have been viral in nature. Nobody seems to be sure.

In this case disturbing the death pit might liberate spores?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubonic_plague

Several classes of antibiotics are effective in treating bubonic plague. These include aminoglycosides such as streptomycin and gentamicin, tetracyclines (especially doxycycline), and the fluoroquinolone ciprofloxacin. Mortality associated with treated cases of bubonic plague is about 1-15%, compared to a mortality rate of 40-60% in untreated cases.[7]
People potentially infected with the plague need immediate treatment and should be given antibiotics within 24 hours of the first symptoms to prevent death. Other treatments include oxygen, intravenous fluids, and respiratory support. People who have had contact with anyone infected by pneumonic plague are given prophylactic antibiotics.[8] Using the broad-based antibiotic streptomycin has proven to be dramatically successful against the bubonic plague within 12 hours of infection.[9]