It has a mildly sweet taste and also causes brain damage
Well… but so does Jack Daniel’s. Interestingly, the Romans were aware of the dangers of lead poisoning, including that it could cause madness - which they called “plumbism” (plumbum being the Latin word for lead). Kind of like we know about the dangers of alcohol, flavored sugar water, and many other things we consume wantonly. Like us, they apparently just didn’t GAF.
Well… but so does Jack Daniel’s. Interestingly, the Romans were aware of the dangers of lead poisoning, including that it could cause madness - which they called “plumbism” (plumbum being the Latin word for lead). Kind of like we know about the dangers of alcohol, flavored sugar water, and many other things we consume wantonly. Like us, they apparently just didn’t GAF.
Lead and alcohol are on completely different levels.
There is no way Romans understood fully the damage lead does and how it accumulates in the body.
Also alcohol is presumably consumed by adults only, while this sweet shit was probably given to children too which makes it even worse.
What makes you think it was for children?
The mild sweet taste part
Sugar does that too you know. Better and cheaper.
For pretty much the entirety of ancient history “sugar” and “cheaper” do not belong together in a sentence.