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Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Infant twins buried together in Roman Croatia may have died from lead poisoning
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Nearly 2,000 years ago, fraternal twin infants — one boy and one girl — were buried facing each other in a cemetery in what is now Croatia, a new study finds. It's unclear why the twins died, but lead poisoning may have played a role, the researchers wrote in a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports. "It is one of the very few double burials known in Croatia and is the only double burial of very young individuals in this cemetery," study first author Anna Osterholtz, a bioarchaeologist at Mississippi State University, told Live Science in an email. The burial ground, known as Dragulin cemetery, was initially excavated in 2016, when construction for a parking lot revealed a handful of ancient stone urns, the researchers wrote in the study. The cemetery is in the modern city of Trogir (Tragurium in Roman times), a UNESCO World Heritage site. This area became a part of the Roman province of Illyricum after Julius Caesar's civil war in 47 B.C. An investigation into the "short life and death of these siblings" revealed that they were buried sometime between the end of the first and the late second century A.D., the researchers wrote in the study. Related: 31,000-year-old burial holds world's oldest known identical twins An ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis showed that the infants were fraternal twins who were either stillborn or died within two months of their birth. "The burial posture of both twins suggests that they were important to their family and buried with significant care," Osterholtz said. "This is the first case of fraternal twins from the Roman period in Croatia that has been confirmed via aDNA analysis." Both individuals showed signs of chronic metabolic disease, or diseases caused by nutritional deficiency (like scurvy or rickets) or the body's inability to utilize nutrients. Given the twins' young age at death, their nutrition would have come entirely from their mother, either through the placenta in the womb or breast milk after birth. So, it's possible that their metabolic diseases reflected their mother's poor health — meaning she was either malnourished or suffered from a metabolic disease herself. Another idea is that the twins died from lead poisoning. Lead was pervasive in the Roman world; it was used in pipes and cookware. A lead compound was even used as a sweetener in wine and as a preservative for fruits. The twins' skeletal conditions are consistent with the effects of lead exposure, such as increased bone porosity and periosteal reactions, or new bone formation that happens when bones weakened from lead poisoning are fractured, the researchers wrote in the study. Chronic lead exposure can disrupt metabolic processes like hemoglobin synthesis, sperm production and neural function, and it can also hinder nutrient absorption, which could manifest in both the mother and the developing infants. "Lead exposure through breast milk is a known cause of elevated infant blood lead levels," Amy Pyle-Eilola, an assistant professor of pathology at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, who was not involved in the study, told Live Science in an email. "Additionally, there is a known correlation between elevated blood lead and metabolic bone disease in children." RELATED STORIES —Medieval 'vampire' burial in Croatia contains decapitated and twisted remains —Ancient Egyptian teenager died while giving birth to twins, mummy reveals —Remains of twin fetuses and wealthy mom found in Bronze Age urn Although the authors did not test the twins' remains for lead, they highlighted several cases of metabolic disorders in Roman-era children with high levels of lead in their teeth whose remains were found near Tragurium. "So, if the mother had a significant lead exposure, which is a realistic possibility based on studies examining the same general time and location, it is absolutely possible that the lead was passed to the twins during pregnancy and/or via breastmilk, and the resulting elevation in lead could cause the observed bone disease," Pyle-Eilola added. However, it's hard to know why the twins' health was so poor; there are many other nutritional, genetic and developmental issues that could account for the metabolic bone disease described in this study, Pyle-Eilola said.
The Independent
28-05-2025
- General
- The Independent
Scientists may have solved 2,000-year-old mystery death of Roman baby twins
Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice 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. Artist's drawing of the double burial ( M Daniel Watkins ) 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.'
