[lamp_book]

I wonder if any Romans evidence had any evidence of population-level delirium from lead consumption...

[cjbgkagh]

Lower intelligence would likely surface as hedonistic behavior which is probably hard to distinguish from decadence. Decadence and hedonism were constantly being complained about long before the eventual fall.

[paleotrope]

Hard to square the fall with lead poisoning when the leadership after the 3rd century hardly even bothered to go to Rome at all.

It's too easy to point at the Claudians as the beginning of the fall. In a way, the "Real" Roman empire began to fail once Augustus took over.

[hinkley]

Violence in the US declined as children born around and after leaded gas was banned reached the average age of first offense. It’s quite a line.

[evertedsphere]

> Lower intelligence would likely surface as hedonistic behavior why do you think so