Snake unlikely to have killed Cleopatra

Phys dot org ^ | October 21, 2015 | Mike Addelman

[SunkenCiv]

Academics at The University of Manchester have dismissed the long-held argument that the ancient Egyptian queen Cleopatra was killed by a snake bite.

Andrew Gray, curator of herpetology at Manchester Museum, says venomous snakes in Egypt -- cobras or vipers -- would have been too large to get unseen into the queen's palace.

He was speaking to Egyptologist Dr Joyce Tyldesley in a new video which is part of a new online course introducing ancient Egyptian history, using six items from the Museum's collection.

According to Dr Tyldesley, the ancient accounts say a snake hid in a basket of figs brought in from the countryside, and was also used to kill one or two of her serving maids.

But according to Andrew Gray, cobras are typically five to six feet long but can grow up to eight feet -- too big to hide very easily.

There would also be too little time to kill two or three people -- because snake venom kills you slowly -- with in any case only a 10 per cent chance of death.

He said: "Not only are cobras too big, but there's just a 10 percent chance you would die from a snake bite: most bites are dry bites that don't inject venom.

"That's not to say they aren't dangerous: the venom causes necrosis and will certainly kill you, but quite slowly.

"So it would be impossible to use a snake to kill two or three people one after the other. Snakes use venom to protect themselves and for hunting -- so they conserve their venom and use it in times of need."

[Larry Lucido]

You’re thinking of Buckwheat. Or Francisco Franco.

[thackney]

ays venomous snakes in Egypt -- cobras or vipers -- would have been too large to get unseen into the queen's palace.

BS. I know a family that lost a 13 Burmese python in their house.

They figure it eventually left the house, but not at the time. It was winter in Ohio.

I'm thinking there were a lot more cracks and crevices in her day than modern building.

[Inyo-Mono]

"That's not to say they aren't dangerous: the venom causes necrosis and will certainly kill you, but quite slowly

He needs to read up on cobras, people have been known to die within 10 minutes of being bitten.

[SunkenCiv]

Hey, just because a cobra is wearing a hoodie...

[sportutegrl]

Where’s Elizabeth Taylor?

[bert]

outstanding observation sir

[piasa]

Andrew Gray, curator of herpetology at Manchester Museum, says venomous snakes in Egypt -- cobras or vipers -- would have been too large to get unseen into the queen's palace.

Those Egyptian snakes must be very unusual - over here big snakes are just grown up little snakes. Do theirs somehow hatch out or get born fully-grown?

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

Regarding what is going on in the painting;

“According to Plutarch (quoted by Ussher), Cleopatra tested various deadly poisons on condemned persons and concluded that the bite of the asp (from aspis - Egyptian cobra, not European asp) was the least terrible way to die; the venom brought sleepiness and heaviness without spasms of pain. The asp is perhaps most famous for its alleged role in Cleopatra’s suicide (From Wikipedia article on Asp (reptile))

In looking at the picture I do see a sinister man with a phial (Ha Pharmakos) perhaps an apothecary, or, a poisoner. (It all depends on the dose!) I do not see a snake, but I do see 2 test subjects, one dead, one dying.

Crazy English Herpto-hunter says he thinks it was an Egyptian cobra.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi1Y9hXw6QY

It could, of course, have been a small cobra, or alternatively, a large basket of figs.