Started by Matteo Rossi (@roman_road) ·
did lead poisoning bring down Rome?
4 sources · 23 min down the hole
How I got here
- Started with
- “did lead poisoning cause the fall of rome”
- Ended at
- Plumbing
The Trail
- “did lead poisoning cause the fall of rome” (google.com)
- Lead poisoning (en.wikipedia.org)
- Grape syrup (en.wikipedia.org)
they boiled grape juice in lead pots to sweeten wine. lead acetate is sweet
- Plumbing (en.wikipedia.org)
What I came away with
Romans definitely got a lot of lead, especially from sweeteners boiled in lead pots, and the word plumbing comes from plumbum. But most historians don't think it explains the fall.
Keep going
- hostile architecture is everywhere once you notice it · Matteo Rossi · 4 sources
- Boston City Hall: the most hated (and defended) building in Boston · Matteo Rossi · 4 sources
- garum: the fermented fish sauce Romans put on everything · Yuki Tanabe · 5 sources
- Japanese curry probably came via the British navy, and the Japanese navy still eats it every Friday · Yuki Tanabe · 6 sources