This article explores the conceptual and cultural implications of using pathogen ancient DNA (aDNA) collected in archaeological contexts to understand the past. More specifically, it examines ancient pathogen genomics as a way of conceptualizing multispecies entanglements. The analysis focuses on the 2018 sequencing of Borrelia recurrentis bacteria retrieved from a medieval graveyard in Oslo, Norway. B. recurrentis is associated with louse-borne relapsing fever (LBRF), known to have killed several million people in Europe during the past millennium, and it is still encountered in parts of East Africa. The article demonstrates that while aDNA research often foregrounds multispecies entanglements, its epistemic tools cannot easily address the ontological blurriness of pathogens and their embeddedness in vibrant material processes. The article draws on feminist posthumanities work on microbes and materiality to highlight conceptual openings that a theorization of ancient pathogens could engender.

本文探讨了使用考古背景中收集的病原体古代DNA（aDNA）来了解过去的概念和文化含义。更具体地说，它研究了古代病原体的基因组学，作为一种概念化多物种纠缠的方式。该分析着重于2018年从挪威奥斯陆的一个中世纪墓地回收的疏螺旋体细菌的测序。复发性芽孢杆菌与虱子传播性发热（LBRF）有关，后者在过去的千年中在欧洲造成数百万人死亡，但在东非部分地区仍很常见。这篇文章表明，尽管aDNA研究经常关注多物种纠缠，但其认知工具无法轻松解决病原体的本体模糊性及其在充满活力的物质过程中的嵌入性。这篇文章借鉴了女性主义的后人类在微生物和物质上的研究成果，以强调古代病原体的理论化可能产生的概念性空缺。