
At Charterhouse in Somerset, UK there was a Roman lead mine
Andrew Wilson
Extensive silver mining may have exposed the ancient Romans to high levels of lead pollution in the air, possibly causing a general decline in their intelligence and resistance to disease.
Analyzes of Arctic ice sheets show that atmospheric lead concentrations at the height of the Roman Empire were three times what they are in the US today. Their influence on the minds of ancient people throughout Europe – especially in the main coining regions of Iberia – would have been significant and may even have influenced…