https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/locusta-gaul-0013483
Detail of ‘The Love Potion’ (1903) by Evelyn de Morgan. Unlike the creation of this woman, Locusta of Gaul’s potions were made in hatred. Source: Public Domain
Poison was always the silent killer. Kings and emperors fell prey to it as easily as an unsuspecting servant. Throughout medieval and classical history, poison and those who knew how to prepare it played a huge role in the internal affairs of many a court. Assassins were feared, and herbalists were employed to concoct the most deadly poisons possible - all with the aim to remove competitors, enemies, and usurpers. The poisoner we are discussing today is one of the most infamous in classical history - Locusta of Gaul.
Employed as the favorite poisoner of the Roman Emperor Nero, this woman ended many lives with her deadly poisons . From the wild woods of Gaul all the way to the marble courts of Rome, this woman’s story is a true deadly drama. Widely considered as one of the earliest documented serial killers, Locusta was certainly a deadly dame. But is there more to her story? Revenge? Hate? Sorrow? We’re about to find out.
The Earliest Historical Mention of Locusta of Gaul
In ancient Rome poisons were a common weapon often used with cunning skill. Emperors used them to depose unwanted pretenders and heirs to the throne, to eliminate staunch enemies, or to get rid of unwanted commanders. Murder by poison gave less involvement and a better alibi.
There was no need for weapons or bloodshed, as an assassin could simply insert the poison into food or drink in a critical moment. Fear of such an assassination became so widespread in Roman society , that many important individuals - mostly Emperors - hired special servants that would act as food tasters. These were often the cooks as well.
And to find a proper herbalist and maker of poisons, Roman Emperors did not hesitate to look in all corners of their Empire. And so it was that in the lands of their province of Gaul they discovered a skilled woman, well versed in the use of wild herbs, plants, and poisons. Locusta was her name, and she was most likely captured (sometime before 54 AD) and brought to Rome where her deadly skills would be utilized.
And her skill as a maker of poisons was quickly recognized. So it came to be that Locusta of Gaul was hired as the official poisoner of the Imperial Court. There she became the favorite of Emperor Nero - who, as we all know, had a particular affinity for all things deadly and odd.
Locusta was certainly a historical figure and what we can learn about her deeds was documented by ancient historians Tacitus, Juvenal, Cassius Dio, and Suetonius.
https://youtu.be/SY4i_ONbZyE
She is first mentioned in the service of Agrippina Minor, one of the most prominent female figures of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty of Rome, and the mother of the future emperor, Nero.
Empress Agrippina made Locusta of Gaul her poisons expert, and some sources claim that with her assistance the Empress conspired to murder her husband Claudius. Before this occurred though, Locusta is mentioned as being imprisoned in 54 AD, and condemned for a poisoning charge ( nuper veneficii damnata ).
It was at this point that Agrippina employed Locusta’s deadly services. The latter produced a poison to kill Claudius, which was purportedly sprinkled on mushrooms in his dinner. It is also possible that the mushroom itself was the poison, the Amanita Phalloides, the so-called Death Cap Mushroom.
This long and colourful story continues at: https://www.ancient-origins.net/history-famous-people/locusta-gaul-0013483
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