- Locusta (c.54-69 CE) was one of three famous Roman Poisoners written about by Horace (Satires 1.8.1).
- Her preferred poison was Hemlock.
Biography
- 54 CE She was probably hired to poison Roman Emperor Claudius, by using a bowl of poisoned mushrooms, and when this failed, by a poisoned feather down the throat, on instructions by Claudius’ fourth wife, Agrippina the Younger.
- 55 CE She was hired by Nero to poison Claudius’ son, Britannicus, then granted immunity. She was possible hired by Nero to eliminate many other of his enemies.
- 69 CE Galba, the successor to Nero, had her executed.
Horace
- Horace writes about three well known Poisoners, Canidia, Martina as well as the notorious Locusta.
Hemlock
- Hemlock Poisoning:
- Within 15-30 minutes, the initial symptoms are nausea, vomiting, pain and loss of feeling in certain limbs.
- This is followed by series of worsening involuntary seizures, with death resulting from respiratory failure within 2-3 hours.