A CLUE TO THE DECLINE OF ROME
By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD, Special to the New York Times
Published: May 31, 1983
DETROIT, May 30— A chemical analysis of skeletons of Romans killed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79 indicates that, although they were generally healthy and well-nourished people, some of them may have suffered chronic lead poisoning, an American archeologist reported here today.
This is the first direct physical evidence that seems to support the popular hypothesis that lead poisoning, which can cause mental retardation and erratic behavior, contributed to the downfall of the Roman Empire. Historical records reveal that Roman food and wine was heavily contaminated with lead.
Dr. Sara C. Bisel, a classical archeologist and physical anthropologist from Rochester, Minn., reported these findings in a lecture at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. The discovery of the skeletons at the Mediterranean seacoast town of Herculaneum was announced last fall. They were victims of the same volcanic eruption that destroyed Pompeii.
Dr. Bisel has now examined the bones of 55 victims - 30 adult males, 13 adult females and 12 children. Another 75 skeletons have been found but not excavated. Because the Romans practiced cremation, thus leaving no cemeteries, this is the largest group of ancient Roman skeletons ever subjected to modern scientific study.
In her analysis, Dr. Bisel found that the bones contained a mean level of 84 parts of lead per million, which she concluded was significantly high. In contrast, the bones of some prehistoric people discovered in a Greek cave contained only 3 parts per million of lead. (Various studies have reported finding 20 to 50 parts per million in the bones of typical modern Americans and Britons.)
The level of lead in the bones of Romans seems all the more remarkable in light of the many additional sources of lead pollution today. Abnormal amounts of lead today usually are traced to leaded gasoline emissions and the accidental ingestion of leaded paint, and they are detected through examination of blood and hair samples.
Dr. Bisel said in an interview that eight of the Romans ''may well have had episodes of lead poisoning.'' Two ''oddball'' samples showed 2,790 and 6,350 parts per million, but she did not include those in her calculations. The other six had readings from 100 to 200 parts per million.
''Much has been written about lead as a factor in the decline of the Roman Empire,'' Dr. Bisel said in her lecture. ''But this is the first time we have had actual Romans to test.''
Last March, Dr. Jerome O. Nriagu, a Canadian scientist, published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine that suggested a link between the legendary Roman appetite for reinforced wines, laced with a syrup brewed in lead pots, and the bizarre behavior of the Roman aristocracy, particularly such emperors as Nero, Claudius and Caligula.
Tests on the bone samples also showed strontium and calcium levels that Dr. Bisel said indicate ''a moderate reliance on vegetable proteins, plus fish and red meat.'' She reported that the Romans' teeth had many fewer cavities than the average American.
While the skeletons of most of the victims showed that they engaged in little manual labor, one man, approximately 45 years old, bore the skeletal scars of a hard life, possibly as a galley slave. His bones were found next to a boat, with the oars still in his hands.
According to Dr. Bisel, six of the man's vertebrae were fused together in a solid piece, which must have given him spells of excruciating back pain. ''It just breaks your heart to think what his life must have been like,'' the archeologist said in an interview.
Most of the adults ranged in age from 30 to 45, with no one more than 50 years old. One woman, about 24 years old, was pregnant, carrying a 7-month-old fetus, Dr. Bisel said.
Dr. Bisel's research is being supported by the National Geographic Society. She plans to return to the Herculaneum site next week to resume excavation and analysis under the general direction of the Italian Government.
Illustrations: photos of human bones discovered by archeologists (page C3) map of Mt. Vesuvius (page C3)