Citation

Guillemain B. Hist. Sci. Med. 2009; 43(4): 369-373.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Les Editions de Médecine Pratique)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

20503640

Abstract

The image of a queen bitten by a snake is controversial and the facts, such as the swiftness of her death and her servants, and scientific experiments are in favour of a deadly poisoning. The author reminds that in the ancient texts the snake had sacred virtues and it was a symbolic image to embellish the suicide of the one who was sentenced to death by the Romans. Octaves set up the myth of a fatal bite which became an iconographic image for the cinema.

Language: fr

Keywords

Humans; Suicide; Animals; Famous Persons; Mythology; History, Ancient; Symbolism; Egypt, Ancient; Snake Bites; Rome; Snake Venoms