On Monday, October 9th, the Geneviève Moracchini-Mazel Research Center welcomed three researchers: Philippe Biagini, research director, Jean-Pierre Poli, research professor, and Paul-Alexandre Schmitt, doctoral student, as part of a research project on the pathogens of ancient Corsican populations.

This project is led by the Paleomicrobiology Laboratory at the University of Corsica, in partnership with Aix-Marseille University (Faculty of Medicine, UMR ADES), Inrap, and various archaeological institutions in Corsica. Its objective is to explore specific infectious diseases (malaria, tuberculosis, brucellosis, etc.) that may have been present in Corsican territory over the centuries.

In this context, the bone remains of around forty individuals buried in the medieval cemetery of Mariana and stored in the museum's reserves have been sampled. Discovered during archaeological excavations in the 2000s, they constitute a homogeneous and well-documented population. After the scientific project was approved by the Territorial Commission for Archaeological Research, DNA analyses should reveal potential infectious diseases. These microbiological research efforts will be coupled with anthropological, archaeological, and historical studies to put the health status of a population into perspective with its environment, way of life, and social status. The advancements of this innovative and multidisciplinary approach will be regularly published here.