Oldest remains of leprosy victim found

JERUSALEM - An Israeli archaeologist has found what he says are the oldest remains of a leprosy victim to be uncovered in the Middle East, buried in a biblical valley whose name became a synonym for hell.

Shimon Gibson of Jerusalem's Albright Institute of Archaeological Research discovered the 2,000-year-old remains of a man in a niche in a family burial cave in the city's Hinnom Valley.

Gibson said that until now the oldest archaeological findings of leprosy, known as Hansen's disease, were from the fifth century A.D.

"As this is from the first century A.D., it makes it the first known example of Hansen's disease in the entire Middle East," he said. "It's very exciting."

Although he made the discovery three years ago, he said he held off on publicizing the find until DNA tests confirmed the man suffered leprosy and an exhaustive examination of the bones and fibers in the skeleton's shroud were complete.

In biblical tradition, ancient peoples burned children alive as offerings to the pagan god Molech in the Hinnom Valley. The valley's Hebrew name, Gehenna, became one of the names for hell.

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