Chapter 8 - Murder, Execution, and Suicide in Ancient Greece and Rome

Abstract

Judging from the cases of poisoning reported in ancient literature involving such notables as Socrates in 399 BCE, Cleopatra in 30 CE, and Nero in 68 CE, one could conclude that the use of poisons for criminal purposes, executions, or suicides was widespread in antiquity. A closer examination of the evidence, however, shows that not all such historical narratives can be accepted at face value. Poisons were certainly used in Socrates’ execution, but the exact details of their use in other cases cannot be verified. Roman laws forbidding the use of poisons clearly indicate that poisons were, in fact, used. However, precise details about the agents used and their methods of administration are rarely available. Also, not only were poisons used, but they generated a body of myths and literature blurring the line, in many instances, between reality and imagination.