Were the Romans STUPID? Lead pollution caused widespread IQ declines across the empire, controversial research claims

Science
By William

By XANTHA LEATHAM, Deputy Science Editor of the Daily Mail

Published: | Updated:

It was one of the most technologically advanced empires in history.

But according to a study, the Romans may have suffered from cognitive decline due to pollution.

Researchers suggest that widespread lead pollution – caused by mining – lowered the IQ of virtually the entire European population at the time.

For their research, the team from the Desert Research Institute in Nevada examined ice cores: ice columns up to 3,400 meters long that are extracted using enormous drills.

Gas bubbles trapped in the ice provide insight into the atmosphere of past eras, while the presence of pollutants such as lead can be used to indicate industrial activity.

Analysis of three ice cores showed that European lead emissions occurred around 15 BC. increased sharply due to the rise of the Roman Empire.

They remained high for about 150 years until the empire began to decline.

Combining their findings with current research linking lead exposure to cognitive decline, the scientists estimate that lead pollution during this period would have resulted in an average increase in blood levels in children of about 2.5 micrograms per deciliter.

It was one of the most technologically advanced empires in history. But according to a study, the Romans may have suffered from cognitive decline due to pollution

For their research, the team from the Desert Research Institute in Nevada examined ice cores: ice columns up to 3,400 meters long that are extracted using enormous drills.

For their research, the team from the Desert Research Institute in Nevada examined ice cores: ice columns up to 3,400 meters long that are extracted using enormous drills.

As a result, this would have led to widespread cognitive decline of 2 to 3 IQ points across the Roman Empire.

“This is the first study to take a pollution record from an ice core and invert it to determine atmospheric concentrations of pollution and then assess human impact,” said Joe McConnell, lead author of the study.

“The idea that we can do this as early as 2,000 years ago is quite new and exciting.”

Ancient lead pollution was largely the result of silver mining, when the lead-rich mineral galena was smelted to extract silver.

Much of this lead subsequently entered the atmosphere.

In adults, high lead exposure is associated with infertility, anemia, memory loss, cardiovascular disease, cancer and a reduced immune response.

Meanwhile, in children, even low levels of exposure have been linked to reduced IQ, concentration problems and reduced academic success.

“Lead is known to have a wide range of effects on human health, but we chose to focus on cognitive decline because we can put a number on it,” said co-author Nathan Chellman.

Gas bubbles trapped in the ice provide insight into the atmosphere of past eras, while the presence of pollutants such as lead can be used to indicate industrial activity

Gas bubbles trapped in the ice provide insight into the atmosphere of past eras, while the presence of pollutants such as lead can be used to indicate industrial activity

Combining their findings with current research linking lead exposure to cognitive decline, the scientists estimate that lead pollution during this period would have resulted in an average increase in blood levels in children of about 2.5 micrograms per deciliter. Pictured: Grass-covered hills mark the site of the Roman-era lead mine at Charterhouse on Mendip

Combining their findings with current research linking lead exposure to cognitive decline, the scientists estimate that lead pollution during this period would have resulted in an average increase in blood levels in children of about 2.5 micrograms per deciliter. Pictured: Grass-covered hills mark the site of the Roman-era lead mine at Charterhouse on Mendip

‘An IQ reduction of 2 to 3 points does not seem like much, but if you apply that to almost the entire European population, that is quite a bit.’

Although ice core data show that lead pollution in the Arctic was 40 times higher in the early 1970s – at its peak – the study shows how “humans have been influencing their health through industrial activity for thousands of years,” the team said.

Their findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

How England spent almost half a millennium under Roman rule

55 BC – Julius Caesar crossed the Channel with about 10,000 soldiers. They landed in Pegwell Bay on the Isle of Thanet and were met by a force of British. Caesar was forced to withdraw.

54 BC -Caesar crossed the Channel again in his second attempt to conquer Britain. He came with 27,000 infantry and cavalry and landed at Deal, but there was no opposition. They marched inland and after hard fighting defeated the British and key tribal leaders surrendered.

Later that year, however, Caesar was forced to return to Gaul to resolve the problems there, and the Romans left.

54 BC – 43 BC – Although there were no Romans present in Britain during these years, their influence increased due to trade links.

43AD – A Roman force of 40,000 led by Aulus Plautius landed in Kent and took the south-east. Emperor Claudius appointed Plautius governor of Britain and returned to Rome.

47AD – Londinium (London) was founded and Britain was declared part of the Roman Empire. Networks of roads were built throughout the country.

50 AD – The Romans arrived in the south-west and left their mark in the form of a wooden fort on a hill near the River Exe. Decades later, a town called Isca was founded on the site of the fortress.

When the Romans left and the Saxons ruled, all ex-Roman cities were called a ‘ceaster’. this was called ‘Exe ceaster’ and a merger of these eventually created Exeter.

75 – 77 AD – The Romans defeated the last resistant tribes, turning all of Britain Roman. Many Britons began to adopt Roman customs and laws.

122AD – Emperor Hadrian ordered a wall built between England and Scotland to keep out Scottish tribes.

312 AD – Emperor Constantine made Christianity legal throughout the Roman Empire.

228 AD – The Romans were attacked by barbarian tribes and soldiers stationed in the country were recalled to Rome.

410 AD – All Romans were recalled to Rome and Emperor Honorious told the British that they were no longer connected to Rome.

Source: History on the Internet

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