The Black Death was one of the most destructive epidemics in history, estimated to have claimed the lives of up to 200 million people across Europe between 1346 and 1353.
But exactly how the plague decimated individual towns and villages has been relatively poorly understood.
A new study, however, has used the shards of medieval pottery to reveal the terrible toll the disease took in rural locations in England.
The research by archaeologists at the University of Lincoln used broken pottery as a proxy for the presence of human populations.
They discovered 'eye-watering' declines in population within rural communities, with pottery in some areas disappearing altogether.
It suggests that entire rural communities were devastated by the plague and shows that the disease had an impact that extended far beyond the densely populated cities like London.
Did the Black Death wipe out whole villages? Pottery reveals the ruin wrought by the plague in medieval Britain
Pottery was used as a proxy for the presence of human populations
Research used data from 2,000 excavation sites across the east of England
There was a 45 per cent decline in pottery following the plague in 1346-1353
Entire villages may have been wiped out by the terrible disease
By Shivali Best For Mailonline
25 May 2016
The Black Death was one of the most destructive epidemics in history, estimated to have claimed the lives of up to 200 million people across Europe between 1346 and 1353.
But exactly how the plague decimated individual towns and villages has been relatively poorly understood.
A new study, however, has used the shards of medieval pottery to reveal the terrible toll the disease took in rural locations in England.
Archaeologists used pottery dug up from 55 rural settlements to estimate the impact of the Black Death on villages in the east of England. Some communities almost completely disappeared. Overall pottery declined by 45 per cent in pottery between the early medieval (pictured left) and the late medieval (right) period
The research by archaeologists at the University of Lincoln used broken pottery as a proxy for the presence of human populations.
They discovered 'eye-watering' declines in population within rural communities, with pottery in some areas disappearing altogether.
It suggests that entire rural communities were devastated by the plague and shows that the disease had an impact that extended far beyond the densely populated cities like London.
Professor Carenza Lewis, an archaeologist at the University of Lincoln, said: 'The true scale of devastation wrought by the Black Death in England during the 'calamitous' fourteenth century has been a topic of much debate among historians and archaeologists.
'Pottery use fell by almost a half in eastern England in the centuries immediately after the Black Death.
'This supports the emerging consensus that the population of England remained somewhere between 35 and 55 per cent below its pre-Black Death level well into the sixteenth century.'
The researchers drew together data from thousands of excavation pits excavated in rural locations across the East of England over the past decade.
These results indicate which places were most severely hit by plague, from the level of individual plots and parishes up to whole towns and counties.
In some locations, such as Binham in Norfolk and Great Amwell in Hertfordshire, declines exceeded 70 per cent.
Fragments of pottery found in medieval communities (pictured above) were used as a proxy for the presence of human populations. They showed a dramatic decline after the Black Death
In other locations it appears entire villages were devastated.
In some communities, such as Great Shelford in Cambridgeshire and the village of Daws Heath in Essex, evidence for pottery completely disappears.
Professor Lewis added: 'Realistically, it is probably safest to infer the population was almost wiped out, as we haven’t dug every square inch of the village.'
Recent studies have led to an increase in the estimates of mortality from the Black Death.
But the discussion remains hindered by a lack of consistent, reliable and scalable population data for the period.
Data was gathered from more than 2,000 one-metre square test-pits excavated by members of the public under professional archaeological supervision. Pictured here are members of the public excavating in Ashwell, Hertfordshire
Professor Carenza Lewis, who led the study, said 'This new research offers a novel solution to that evidential challenge, using finds of pottery - a highly durable indicator of human presence - as a proxy for population change in a manner that is both scalable and replicable.'
'This new research suggests there is an almost unlimited reservoir of new evidence capable of revealing change in settlement and demography still surviving beneath today's rural parishes, towns and villages.
'Anyone could excavate, anywhere in the UK, Europe or even beyond, and discover how their community fared in the aftermath of the Black Death.'
EXCAVATING POTTERY ACROSS THE EAST OF ENGLAND
Data was gathered from more than 2,000 one-metre square test-pits excavated by members of the public under professional archaeological supervision.
This was done between 2005 and 2014 across the six counties of eastern England.
These spanned 55 different rural settlements which are inhabited today.
Of those 55 locations, 90 per cent recorded a decline in the number of test pits yielding two or more sherds.
Overall there was a decline of 45 per cent in pottery finds between the early medieval and the late medieval periods across the area studied.
Read more: Pottery used to estimate Black Death effect on rural populations in East England | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
But exactly how the plague decimated individual towns and villages has been relatively poorly understood.
A new study, however, has used the shards of medieval pottery to reveal the terrible toll the disease took in rural locations in England.
The research by archaeologists at the University of Lincoln used broken pottery as a proxy for the presence of human populations.
They discovered 'eye-watering' declines in population within rural communities, with pottery in some areas disappearing altogether.
It suggests that entire rural communities were devastated by the plague and shows that the disease had an impact that extended far beyond the densely populated cities like London.
Did the Black Death wipe out whole villages? Pottery reveals the ruin wrought by the plague in medieval Britain
Pottery was used as a proxy for the presence of human populations
Research used data from 2,000 excavation sites across the east of England
There was a 45 per cent decline in pottery following the plague in 1346-1353
Entire villages may have been wiped out by the terrible disease
By Shivali Best For Mailonline
25 May 2016
The Black Death was one of the most destructive epidemics in history, estimated to have claimed the lives of up to 200 million people across Europe between 1346 and 1353.
But exactly how the plague decimated individual towns and villages has been relatively poorly understood.
A new study, however, has used the shards of medieval pottery to reveal the terrible toll the disease took in rural locations in England.
Archaeologists used pottery dug up from 55 rural settlements to estimate the impact of the Black Death on villages in the east of England. Some communities almost completely disappeared. Overall pottery declined by 45 per cent in pottery between the early medieval (pictured left) and the late medieval (right) period
The research by archaeologists at the University of Lincoln used broken pottery as a proxy for the presence of human populations.
They discovered 'eye-watering' declines in population within rural communities, with pottery in some areas disappearing altogether.
It suggests that entire rural communities were devastated by the plague and shows that the disease had an impact that extended far beyond the densely populated cities like London.
Professor Carenza Lewis, an archaeologist at the University of Lincoln, said: 'The true scale of devastation wrought by the Black Death in England during the 'calamitous' fourteenth century has been a topic of much debate among historians and archaeologists.
'Pottery use fell by almost a half in eastern England in the centuries immediately after the Black Death.
'This supports the emerging consensus that the population of England remained somewhere between 35 and 55 per cent below its pre-Black Death level well into the sixteenth century.'
The researchers drew together data from thousands of excavation pits excavated in rural locations across the East of England over the past decade.
These results indicate which places were most severely hit by plague, from the level of individual plots and parishes up to whole towns and counties.
In some locations, such as Binham in Norfolk and Great Amwell in Hertfordshire, declines exceeded 70 per cent.
Fragments of pottery found in medieval communities (pictured above) were used as a proxy for the presence of human populations. They showed a dramatic decline after the Black Death
In other locations it appears entire villages were devastated.
In some communities, such as Great Shelford in Cambridgeshire and the village of Daws Heath in Essex, evidence for pottery completely disappears.
Professor Lewis added: 'Realistically, it is probably safest to infer the population was almost wiped out, as we haven’t dug every square inch of the village.'
Recent studies have led to an increase in the estimates of mortality from the Black Death.
But the discussion remains hindered by a lack of consistent, reliable and scalable population data for the period.
Data was gathered from more than 2,000 one-metre square test-pits excavated by members of the public under professional archaeological supervision. Pictured here are members of the public excavating in Ashwell, Hertfordshire
Professor Carenza Lewis, who led the study, said 'This new research offers a novel solution to that evidential challenge, using finds of pottery - a highly durable indicator of human presence - as a proxy for population change in a manner that is both scalable and replicable.'
'This new research suggests there is an almost unlimited reservoir of new evidence capable of revealing change in settlement and demography still surviving beneath today's rural parishes, towns and villages.
'Anyone could excavate, anywhere in the UK, Europe or even beyond, and discover how their community fared in the aftermath of the Black Death.'
EXCAVATING POTTERY ACROSS THE EAST OF ENGLAND
Data was gathered from more than 2,000 one-metre square test-pits excavated by members of the public under professional archaeological supervision.
This was done between 2005 and 2014 across the six counties of eastern England.
These spanned 55 different rural settlements which are inhabited today.
Of those 55 locations, 90 per cent recorded a decline in the number of test pits yielding two or more sherds.
Overall there was a decline of 45 per cent in pottery finds between the early medieval and the late medieval periods across the area studied.
Read more: Pottery used to estimate Black Death effect on rural populations in East England | Daily Mail Online
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
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