LONDON: Legendary Egyptian queen
Cleopatra did not die of a snake bite as is believed but died of a drug cocktail
instead, a researcher has claimed.
The lethal drug cocktail included
opium and hemlock, Christoph Schaefer, a German historian and professor at the
University of Trier, has claimed in his latest research.
The "Queen
of the Nile" ended her life in 30 BC and it has always been held that it was the
bite of an asp, now called the Egyptian cobra, which caused her death. "Queen
Cleopatra was famous for her beauty and was unlikely to have subjected herself
to a long and disfiguring death," Schaefer was quoted as saying by the
Telegraph.
The historian journeyed with other experts to Alexandria,
Egypt, where they consulted ancient medical texts and snake experts. "Cleopatra
wanted to remain beautiful in her death to maintain her myth," he said.
"She probably took a cocktail of opium, hemlock and aconitum. Back
then, this was a well-known mixture that led to a painless death within just a
few hours whereas the snake death could have taken days and been agonising."
Cleopatra reigned from 51 BC to 30 BC and was the last person to
rule Egypt as a pharaoh. After she died, Egypt became a Roman province. She
established a relationship with Roman General Mark Anthony.
After losing
the Battle of Actium to Octavian's forces, Antony committed suicide. Cleopatra
followed suit on August 12, 30 BC, aged 39.
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