Locusta: Rome's Imperial Poisoner

One of the most well-known classical poison concoctors was Locusta of Gaul, who practiced her trade in the Roman Empire throughout the first century. Although very little has been published about her, one fact sticks out: she may have been one of the first serial killers in history. The majority of the information on Locusta that we have comes from classical male historians who were not acquainted with her, such as Tacitus in his Annals, Suetonius in his Life of Nero, and Cassius Dio. Since she did not leave a written account of her own life, many details are only vaguely known.

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