Ever since Neil DeGrasse Tyson mentioned the “ lead in the water ” theory of why Rome fell on Cosmos , scientists and historian have been tearing up the internet to explicate all the trouble with this estimate .
Michael Gerald Tyson described the way Romans prefer to use lead pipes for their drinking body of water , as well as other feeding and drinking vessel . He noted that “ many historians ” think the Romans ’ plumbing habits could have precede to “ a mass intoxication on an unprecedented musical scale ” that precipitated the not bad Empire ’s decline .
A newspaper publisher write in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesa few twenty-four hour period before the Cosmos episode broadcast confirm one part of Tyson ’s command . Researchers conducted thrifty psychoanalysis of sediment cores from a harbor that once held ancient Rome ’s water supply runoff . What they discovered was that yes , the Romans were likely drinking water that had “ 100 multiplication more trail than local spring piddle . ”
Would that have constitute a “ aggregate poisoning”?One of the lead researchers told The Guardian ’s Ian Samplethat he was dubious :
Albarède believes that any health problem triggered by jumper lead piping could not have brought the civilisation to its knees .
“ Can you really envenom an intact civilisation with lead ? I believe it would take more than lead shoot in Rome to do that , ” he say .
Perhaps the most interesting discussion wason Reddit ’s r / askhistorians , where several participants brand relevant grounds on both English of the debate . There , Talleyrayandpoints out that this idea goes back to a book publish in 1983 , calledLead and Lead Poisoning in Antiquity . Its author , a apothecary name Jerome Nriagu , was credibly the first to claim lead toxic condition precipitated the Roman Empire ’s fall . There ’s little evidence to back up his claims , but Talleyrayand notes thathistorians find significant evidence that the Romans were cognizant of lead poisoningand study bother to avoid it .
at last , and perhaps most importantly , even if you take the idea that lead intoxication precede to elevated crime rates , it ’s still not the “ reason ” why Rome fall . There is no undivided , simple reason this political entity slowly disintegrate after exist for so many century in so many dissimilar forms .
Blaming Rome ’s centuries - retentive decline on lead poisoning is a bit like blaming the fall of the British Empire on liver poisoning from all those gin and soda water downed by the colonists .
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