Old age isn’t a modern phenomenon – many people lived long enough to grow old in the olden days, too

Nasty, brutish – but not necessarily short. Here’s how archaeologists know plenty of people didn’t die young.

By: Sharon DeWitte, University of South Carolina, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: March 29, 2026

Words: 1,164

Last Updated: 4 months ago

Body Text Preview

By Sharon DeWitte, University of South Carolina

Every year I ask the college students in the course I teach about the 14th-century Black Death to imagine they are farmers or nuns or nobles in the Middle Ages. What would their lives have been like in the face of this terrifying disease that killed millions of people in just a few years?

Setting aside how they envision what it would be like to confront the plague, …

Create a free account to access this story and more

Join Plucky Wire to access full stories, collaborate with newsrooms, and discover content from networks around the world.

About

FAQ

Email Us