Lead poisoning may have played a role in the death of fraternal twin babies from 2,000 years ago found buried facing each other in Croatia, according to a new study.
Though it’s unclear exactly how the infants died, researchers, including Anna Osterholtz from Mississippi State University, suspect lead poisoning may have played a role.
The rare double burial was discovered in the Dragulin cemetery in the Croatian city of Trogir, which was part of the Roman province of Illyricum around 47BC.
Archaeologists first excavated the cemetery in 2016 when construction for a new parking lot uncovered ancient stone urns.
A DNA analysis revealed the infants were fraternal twins, a boy and a girl, buried together in the first or second century AD.
“They were buried in a single event, suggesting that they died at the same time, possibly as stillbirths,” the study published in the Journal of Archaeological Science concluded.
Analysis of the skeletons indicated “significant metabolic disease” in the infant twins and a “typical Roman diet with marine foods”. The twins likely suffered from nutritional deficiencies, like scurvy or rickets, with their bodies unable to utilise some nutrients.
Researchers suspect their mother was malnourished or suffered from a metabolic disease herself which contributed to the poor health of the babies. Alternatively, the study suggests, the infants may have died from metabolic complications caused by lead poisoning.
“Lead poisoning has been linked to increased rates of miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant mortality as well,” the study noted. “This is due to the fact that lead exposure on the part of the mother is transmitted through placenta to the fetus and later through breast milk to the infant which may start to display pathological changes.”
Previous studies have documented the key role played by lead poisoning in the fall of the Roman Empire.
The Roman world widely used the toxic metal in its pipes and cookware as well as a food preservative and a sweetener in wine.
Researchers found conditions in the skeletons of the twins consistent with the effects of lead poisoning such as increased bone porosity.
A recent study of 150 people from ancient sites in Croatia also showed a “tremendous increase in lead levels during the Roman period”, the study said. “The fact that a similar trend was noticed in several Roman period sites in the immediate vicinity of Tragurium may be additional confirmation for this hypothesis.”
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