The ancient Roman Empire is known for its magnificent wealth and rich culture. Despite all their glory, many Romans died young. After scientific enquiries, it was concluded that many Romans died young because of poisoning. This happened because they used one metal without knowing about its hazardous effects.
Lead was one of the most popular elements in ancient Rome. They used plates and vessels made of lead. Even water pipes were made of lead. The water in the pipes reacted with lead to form lead carbonate, capable of causing many chronic diseases. Many people died of various ailments and the Empire steadily declined, all without the Romans having any idea of what went wrong.
Of course, there were other reasons too for the decline of the Roman Empire, but it is still believed that lead played an important role in its downfall and collapse.
Picture Credit : Google