Roman poor dead at 30

[Brian G Turner]

"A groundbreaking study of 2,000 ancient Roman skeletons has shown how many of the ancient city's inhabitants were riddled with arthritis, suffered broken bones and were generally dead before 30."

Why the average ancient Roman worker was dead by 30

 

[Ray McCarthy]

I think the life expectancy fell worse than that in UK cities during Industrial revolution. Was it 12?

 

[galanx]

But this is the life expectancy of people who had already survived infant mortality and early childhood.

 

[Dave]

There is an old theory (and not a completely wacky one) that the Romans died of Lead poisoning and that this was one cause of the fall of the Roman Empire. They sweetened their wine with Lead Acetate (just like Austrian wine producers were doing with diethylene glycol in 1985.) This article says that it wasn't the lead water pipes but does have some background to the theory. There were certainly high concentrations in Roman bones and in river Tiber sediments from that time. Another theory is that the Lead is from fish oil after cooking in Lead pots. The also drank from Lead tankards. They also used it in make-up products.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

The Lead Acetate is FAR worse than lead pipes or lead tankards.