Was Caligula misunderstood? New research shows the Roman emperor likely knew more about medicinal plants than historians once believed ...

Previous studies have documented the key role played by lead poisoning in the fall of the Roman Empire. The Roman world widely used the toxic metal in its pipes and cookware as well as a food ...

The expansion of the Roman empire to Greece 2,100 years ago coincided with a rise in lead pollution as a by-product of an increased demand for metals, according to some of the earliest traces of ...

The research team believes that this large-scale lead pollution was caused by silver mining and smelting, which supported the ancient Roman economy, and estimates that as much as 500 kilotons of ...

Scientists are exploring the role of lead pollution in the decline of the Roman Empire, proposing that chronic lead exposure from plumbing, wine, and ...

"Human or industrial activities 2,000 years ago were already having continental-scale impacts on human health," study lead ...

Scholars have debated lead poisoning's impact on Roman history for decades, with some arguing it played a role in the downfall of the Roman Empire.

The study also could add fuel to a fraught and long-standing debate whether mass lead poisoning could have contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire.

Lead poisoning effect on IQ in the Roman Empire Roman physicians were aware of the dangers of lead poisoning, but the metal was still widely used for water pipes and cooking pots and found its way ...

Silver fueled the rise of the Roman Empire. But the ancient process of mining and extracting silver was also making the air thick with lead, scientists found.

Roman physicians were aware of the dangers of lead poisoning, but the metal was still widely used for water pipes and cooking pots and found its way into medicines, cosmetics and toys.

Lead exposure is responsible for a range of human health impacts, with even relatively low levels impacting the cognitive development of children. DRI scientists have previously used atmospheric ...