POISONS IN ANCIENT ROME

The first recorded instance of poisoning in ancient Rome occurred in 331 BC when,
during an epidemic, a large number of women were accused of concerted mass
poisoning. Overreaction of the community in times of stress particularly, when
scapegoats for unexplained phenomena are sought, might have played an important
role in this and many subsequent incidents of suspected poisoning. Rome
represented a culture steeped in superstition, fear and mythology with virtually no
scientific means of retrospectively proving or disproving alleged poisoning. The
drug trade in antiquity is briefly reviewed, from the Marsi and rootcutters who
collected materials, and the intermediary herbalists and drug pedlars, to the
physicians and other prescribers of drugs.