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.

The new research adds context to a long-standing debate about the role lead pollution and poisoning may have played in the collapse of the Roman Empire. Some historians have argued that Roman elites and emperors who purportedly displayed odd,

The mass production of silver coins in the Roman Empire had an unintended effect: spewing so much lead into the atmosphere that it may have lowered citizens’ IQs. The Roman Empire was more lead-coated than a Baby Boomer ’s childhood bedroom.

Did lead poisoning contribute to the fall of the Roman Empire? It’s a question historians have long debated, since the Romans sweetened their wine with lead acetate and sipped tap water that flowed through lead pipes.

Ancient Romans' IQ was reduced by the lead in the air they breathed, a new study says. The thirst for silver needed to mint sesterces had deleterious consequences for the health of the citizens of the Roman Empire,