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bones for lead, discovering in 1992 that skeletons dating to later periods
of Roman history have 10 times more lead than their predecessors.
But as with DNA, the question of contamination arises. Because of
the porosity of old bones, they can absorb substances from the soil in
which they lie. Since lead is a common component of the soil, skeptical
archaeologists may wonder if the lead in Roman skeletons is coming
from the soil, absorbed after death, rather than being due to exposure
during life.
Researchers are addressing this issue by measuring isotopes. Lead
in the soil often has a different ratio of isotopes from the lead that was
absorbed by the body and subsequently deposited in the bones. David
De Muynck, a researcher at Ghent University in Belgium, and his col-
leagues studied 22 samples of infant bone tissue dating from Roman
times. These bones had high concentrations of lead. By comparing lead
isotope ratios of the bones with that in the soil and other objects in the
graves, the researchers determined that bone absorption after death did
not contribute most of the lead in the bones. The report, “Lead Isotopic
Analysis of Infant Bone Tissue Dating from the Roman Era Via Mul-
ticollector ICP-Mass Spectrometry,” was published in a 2008 issue of
Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry.
Although this and other research suggests the Romans were ex-
posed to a considerable amount of lead—and they absorbed quite a bit
of it—no one yet knows if they were adversely affected. Lead poisoning
could explain why Roman children suffered from high mortality; as De
Muynck and his colleagues noted in their paper, “Approximately 26%
of Roman children died before the age of fourteen, while approximately
14% even died in the first year of life.” The disorder may also account
for the apparent madness of emperors such as Caligula and Nero. How-
ever, these and other problems could easily be due to other causes.
Archaeological chemistry is just beginning to explore the life and
death of ancient peoples and civilizations. This research opens a vast
avenue to reach back into history and revisit the past. Further innova-
tions, along with the ingenuity of researchers, will grant archaeologists
an even better view of times long ago.
ConCluSIon
Historians and archaeologists explore the past by gathering artifacts and
using technology to glean as much knowledge as they can from them.
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