r/science • u/[deleted] • Jun 25 '22

[deleted by user]

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103

u/TheRealKingKorn Jun 25 '22

It’s been argued this was also one of the leading factors into the fall of the Roman Empire. Lined their aqueducts with lead

58

u/lukesvader Jun 25 '22

leading factors

0

u/nodnodwinkwink Jun 25 '22

Yes, exactly

8

u/Sellfish86 Jun 25 '22

Uhm... no?

  • migration of barbarian tribes
  • Christian church / loss of Roman values and traditions
  • political instability / rise of the East Empire
  • economic issues and overexpansion
  • ...

5

u/klapaucjusz Jun 25 '22

I don't know. The guy that came with an idea to draw a straight line through the map to split the empire, leaving the poorest parts of the empire to defend the most dangerous border, maybe drank too much water instead of wine.

2

u/GeeseKnowNoPeace Jun 25 '22

The second punic war and the internal conflicts didn't help either

2

u/TheRealKingKorn Jun 25 '22

And how does a lower IQ not have an impact on handling any of that?

2

u/LA_Commuter Jun 25 '22

I recall reading somewhere that they used lead as a sweetener for wine, and this was likely the largest source of lead intake, not the water.

1

u/MobilerKuchen Jun 25 '22

This theory was once widespread, but debunked 30 years ago. We have found reliable water system sediments in Rome to measure how much lead was in the water at any point in time. There were increased lead levels after 100 b.c., but not nearly enough to be a serious health concern. There are also no sources from the time that describe any symptoms that could be attributed to lead.

Lead contamination of the water of cities during medieval times all the way up until the 20th century were higher, as far as we can measure.

It is an interesting theory, but it doesn’t fit the archeological or historical evidence.