Lead exposure in the Roman Empire
A review of the written, material, and bioarchaeological evidence
Dados Bibliográficos
| ID | 12373471 |
|---|---|
| Autores | R B Simpson (University of Alberta, autor correspondente), Rachel M L Simpson (University of Alberta), Sandra Garvie‐lok (0000-0003-3360-6044, University of Alberta), Sandra J Garvie-Lok (University of Alberta) |
| Ano | 2026 |
| Páginas | 1-35 |
| Data de publicação | 2026-02-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Sim |
| Open Access | Sim |
| Tipo | ARTICLE |
| Periódico | Journal of Roman Archaeology (JOURNAL) |
| Identificadores do periódico | ISSN: 1047-7594 • E-ISSN: 2331-5709 |
| Editora | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s1047759426100646 |
| OpenAlex | W7128523518 |
| Idioma | EN |
| Referências citadas | 94 |
The study of lead artifacts and anthropogenic lead exposure in human remains can provide valuable insights into health, migration, trade, and societal instability. This review examines the uses of lead and its impacts on ancient Roman populations by exploring and integrating evidence from the textual, archaeological, and bioarchaeological records. Considering written texts and material evidence together challenges some of the persistent modern notions that sapa and adulterated wine were key sources of lead exposure during this time. Using a matrix-based framework to examine domestic lead exposure helps us to assess the frequency of and risk associated with lead objects recovered in published domestic assemblages. We provide a comprehensive synthesis of the bioarchaeological evidence for enamel and bone lead concentrations in Roman populations and conclude with recommendations for future research in this area
Archaeological evidence · Bioarchaeology · Lead (geology · Lead exposure · Lead poisoning · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Forensic Anthropology and Bioarchaeology Studies · Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity
Greenland Ice Evidence of Hemispheric Lead Pollution Two Millennia Ago by Greek and Roman Civilizations
Lead from Carthaginian and Roman Spanish Mines Isotopically Identified in Greenland Ice Dated from 600 B.C. to 300 A.D.
Lead pollution recorded in Greenland ice indicates European emissions tracked plagues, wars, and imperial expansion during antiquity
Differential diagenesis of strontium in archaeological human dental tissues
Different contamination styles of prehistoric human teeth at a Swiss necropolis (Sion, Valais) inferred from lead and strontium isotopes
A critical review of biomarkers used for monitoring human exposure to lead
Excretion of Ni, Pb, Cu, As, and Hg in Sweat under Two Sweating Conditions
Combining dental calculus with isotope analysis in the Alps
Lead and growth status of schoolchildren living in the copper basin of south-western Poland
Lead Use on Roman Ships and its Environmental Effects
Lead exposure in italy
Playing in the Sun
A Lead-Iined Coffin Burial from Winchester
The Lead Content of Some Romano‐british Bones
Lead Glazes in Antiquity—methods of Production and Reasons for Use
Production Technology of Roman Lead‐glazed Pottery and Its Continuance Into Late Antiquity
Elevated lead exposure in Roman occupants of Londinium
Problems in determination of skeletal lead burden in archaeological samples
Postmortem absorption of lead by the skeleton
Accuracy of dental age estimation charts
Persistent, multi-sourced lead contamination in Central Europe since the Bronze Age recorded in the Füramoos peat bog, Germany
An insight from the sea
Vitruvius, Lead Pipes and Lead Poisoning
Death metal
An innovative combination of non-invasive UV-Visible-Fors, XRD and XRF techniques to study Roman wall paintings from Seville, Spain
Late Hellenistic and Early Roman Invention and Innovation
| Velocidade de citação | historical |
|---|---|
| Altamente citado | Não |