Ancient Evidence for Congenital Syphilis in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece: Texts and Artworks

For centuries, syphilis and other treponemal diseases (bejel and yaws) were understood as  “New World” exports, brought to Afro-Eurasia as part of the Columbian Exchange after 1492.  But recent paleopathology and aDNA studies have demonstrated the presence of these diseases in the “Old World,” too, while Dr. Salmon’s own research has helped to prove their existence in medieval Europe. In this presentation, she offered compelling evidence to demonstrate the presence of syphilis in many ancient civilizations, including those Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Mediterranean.