3.5/5. poisoned chalice (plural poisoned chalices) (idiomatic) A scheme or instrument for causing death or harm, especially one which eventually brings about the downfall of its creator; something which is initially regarded as advantageous but which is later recognized to be disadvantageous or harmful. Further, Baalism had been introduced by King … To use poison to kill or paralyse somebody The assassin poisoned the king. Nope, if you are writing a history book, a biography, stick with the facts. See all reviews from the United States. The literal poison killing their entire family represents the evil, corruption, and greed that ultimately led to their demise. My first introduction to the prolific life of Mithridates VI was really due to my discovery of the term ‘Mithridatism’ named in his honor. To pollute; to cause some part of the environment to become poisonous That factory is poisoning the river. Those who attempted to gain sanctuary in the temples were murdered and the temples burned. There is a series of texts collected in the Pali Canon that are attributed to Buddha and are known as the Majjhima Nikaya. The Poison of Kings and the King of Poisons. However, in its true esoteric meaning it is a symbol of unimaginable power and spirituality. He came close to uniting people of the present-day countries of Greece, Turkey, Armenia, Ukraine, Russia, Crimea, Georgie, Chechnya, Syrian, Iran, Iraq and others under his banner. It's not the book an academic historian would have written--but maybe that's a good thing. Comment Report abuse. This was not unheard of. The first chapter for me was hard to endure based on the laughable colloquial language, but I felt it settled down as the actual narrative started. I've heard of King Mithridates of Pontus before reading the Wikipedia article which is what originally made me interested but not the story in full. This book is well out of my comfort zone of history. I picked this one up because my local museum is having an exhibit on Poisons and they’re having the author come in to do a lecture, and damn am I glad I picked it up. Deuteronomy 32:24 | View whole chapter | See verse in context They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. Charismatic, brave and ruthless, the first century B.C. Raised among court intrigue: Persian and Greek, he early on began a lifelong study of poisons and their antidotes, testing them on criminals and each day of his life ingesting a bit, to render himself immune to their effects. I'm not a fan of military history, so I admit to skimming over those pages as I just couldn't stand the long descriptions. Mayor’s excellent book lists quite a few, including Racine’s 1673 Mithridate (Louis XIV’s favorite play); Mozart’s first opera, Mitridate re di Ponto, written at age 14; mentions in poems by Whittier, Housman and Emerson; and a starring role in the 2008 video game Rome: Total War, to name just a few. Mithradates was not the type to do anything small. It b. I picked this one up because my local museum is having an exhibit on Poisons and they’re having the author come in to do a lecture, and damn am I glad I picked it up. Technically, anything can be a poison. Start by marking “The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Racine wrote a tragedy about him, and Mozart an opera. Check our locations page for details. Read more. Those who enjoy history won't need any further urging to read this one, and it's one that I can happily recommend at all. It is a comprehensive biography of King Mithradates of Pontus who waged war against the Roman Empire for most of his life and established a huge empire encompassing the Black Sea. When Adrienne Mayor remains within the limits of her sources (both literary and archaeological), The Poison King is a solid, readable biography of a now little-known figure of the Ancient world. Deuteronomy 32:33 | View whole chapter | See verse in context Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. His interest wasn’t solely scientific—he held a perfectly reasonable fear of death by poisoning in a time when dining could be as much an occupational hazard for the upper classes as an outright battle. The book does an excellent job of making you sympathetic to the subject character despite his being a genocidal despot who never won a significant battle against the Romans, and the historical speculations at the end are intriguing yet well-grounded and avoid wandering off into the weeds of the author's own wish-fulfillment, which was a clear danger given (her?) What's this, Flashfang Reviews' doing a nonfiction review? This is a fine, well readable book on one of the most fascinating episodes in ancient history, the story of an indomitable king who challenged the Roman expansion in Asia Minor and in the Hellenistic kingdoms. It was a sacred creature to Selket, the goddess who heals stings and bites. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. ... mad, blind, despised and dying king'. Having built immunity to “iocaine” powder, Westley uses it to vanquish a loudmouthed foe. years, but also to recover from multiple defeats of such magnitude that a lesser individual would have certainly capitulated. So either the historian has made a serious mistake in her profession, or she seeks to re-write the history the Jews. In the year he was either born or conceived, 135 or 134 BC, the “Star of Sinope” burned across the sky over Mithradates VI Eupator’s home in northwestern Turkey, on the coast of the Black Sea. infatuation with Mithridates. Mithridatism is the practice of protecting oneself against a poison by gradually self-administering non-lethal amounts. It discusses the many mythical and heroic qualities possessed by King Mithradates, including that his birth and his rise to power–as well as his battle against Rome–were foretold by a variety of omens, his fascination and skill with poisons and their antidotes, and the other incredible details of his life. But unlike J.K. Rowling’s young wizard, Mayor’s Poison King of Pontus was a bloodthirsty ruler of awesome power and boundless cunning. The poisoned soup reinforced Elisha’s proposition that a wild gourd had grown up in Israel to poison the entire nation. His most noteworthy scientific accomplishment was in discovering the “pharmacological paradox” – the principle that one can build up immunity to some poisons by ingesting small dosages of them. Even his birth was marked by a celestial event. [10] Little note is made that the beneficiaries were a small percentage of the population. There are very few books on Mithridates, and even fewer dedicated biograpies; in fact, Very complete, detailed and readable biography of Mithradates, King of Pontus, during the time of the Roman Republic. ( 1 Kings 10:5) It was his duty to fill the kings cup and present it to him personally. "We can imagine," or "I think." Archers dipped their arrows in viper venom. My first introduction to the prolific life of Mithridates VI was really due to my discovery of the term ‘Mithridatism’ named in his honor. Yes it's true, awhile back I was talking to a friend of mine about reading and we were talking about nonfic and I realized that I don't think I ever really have read it outside of school and decided to fix that. Mixing mythology with reality and speculation with factuality, Adrienne Mayor amalgamates the many stories, myths, and facts about Rome's deadliest enemy into a thrilling story of divinity, power, war, perfidy, and eventual downfall. Later he was quite forgotten but his story is one of those truly worth knowing, because it is adventure, mythology and history combined. Noun. The book was an incredibly fascinating look into a major part of history that was, surprise surprise, never even mentioned during my time in school. Claiming Alexander the Great and Darius of Persia as ancestors, Mithradates inherited a wealthy Black Sea kingdom at age fourteen after his mother poisoned his father. As with the lucky number 13, we have been tricked— by the elite families who own the biggest corporations and run the most heavily armed governments —out of … Mithridates or Mithradates VI Eupator (Greek: Μιθραδάτης; 135–63 BC) was ruler of the Kingdom of Pontus in northern Anatolia from 120 to 63 BC, and one of the Roman Republic's most formidable and determined opponents. The lyrics of this song are certainly related to the Vietnam War. ... (I mean Niall Fergusson would understand that statement) Traditionally the West's dominant view of Mithradates came from his Roman enemies, and in recent times there has been virtually no view of the forgotten king. overall, it was an exceptional read. I've had this particular book laying around for years and decided to finally read it as my first non fiction book. There have been several reviews lamenting the amount of conjecture regarding the historically undocumented parts of the life of Mithradates. Well, not little; I've been at it for months off and on. The first chapter for me was hard to endure based on the laughable colloquial language, but I felt it settled down as the actual narrative started. Many times, I lost myself in the story as if I was read. He became famous in history for his research and experiments concerning poisons and antidotes. Mithradates is too important a leader to be forgotten in our time. Poison is used in Claudius and Laertes’ plot to kill Hamlet Laertes’ sword has poison on it, and Hamlet’s drink is also poisoned in case Laertes can’t kill him “I’ll have prepar’d him A chalice for the nonce, whereon but sipping, If he by chance escape your venom’d stuck, Our purpose may hold there” (IV.vii.159-162) It contains many stories including this one about the poisoned arrow. Men, women and children, masters and slaves were rounded up and killed without mercy. There are no discussion topics on this book yet. The toxic properties of arsenic were known by Hippocrates, who in 370 BCE described abdominal colic in a miner of metals, and similar properties were described of mercury and arsenic by Theophrastus of Erebus in the fourth century BCE and by Pliny the Elder in the first century BCE. Overall it was pretty good. Rome's enemies skirmished and revolted, but Rome's strong aggressive armies fended them all off for centuries. Mayor paints him both as a liberator of Eastern peoples who were enslaved by Roman tyranny and a psychopath who exhibited cruelty on an inhuman scale. That wild gourd was Jeroboam’s golden calf worship at Bethel and Dan as supported and protected by King Jehoram’s administration. Still, he did like his potions. Der Kronenräuber ("The Crown Thief": Claudio [sic] Murders His Brother, King Hamlet, By Pouring Poison into His Ear as He Lies Sleeping in the Garden) (Johann Heinrich Lips and Henry Fuseli, 1806) Their property was confiscated; people who killed Roman moneylenders had their debts cancelled; bounties were offered for informers and the killers of Romans in hiding. Gu (traditional Chinese: 蠱; simplified Chinese: 蛊; pinyin: gǔ; Wade–Giles: ku 3) or jincan (traditional Chinese: 金蠶; simplified Chinese: 金蚕; pinyin: jīncán; Wade–Giles: chin 1-ts'an 2; lit. One of the undisputedly good things about modern scholarship is that women’s history is finally getting its due.... To see what your friends thought of this book. That's not to say this book was perfect though, it did have some issues which hurt it that I'll discuss later in this review. Very readable but a bit too much emphasis on the Poison King aspect. And the book ends with what appears to be some Mithridatic fan fiction. Darius I of Persia, Alexander of Macedon and, Mayor notes, Harry Potter of Hogwarts all had similar brushes with lightning. Cupbearer, an officer of high rank with Egyptian, Persian and Assyrian as well as Jewish monarchs. Adrienne Mayor does history a great service by countering that imbalanced knowledge. If arsenic poisoning occurs over a brief period of time, symptoms may include vomiting, abdominal pain, encephalopathy, and watery diarrhea that contains blood. Refugee & Immigrant Services & Empowerment. With his dying breath, Laertes says of the King, "He is justly served; / It is a poison temper'd by himself" (5.2.327-328) , and Laertes admits that it is his own poison … Not as good as I was expecting, and definitely not as good as the author's, This is a decent little read (or listen). The Poison King describes a life brimming with spectacle and excitement. To dream of a fairytale or a king signifies the company of man that makes you feel good. However, there was at least one instance where the author-whether intentionally or by mistake-created fiction where there is already a rich history. I got sucked right into this story from the start, and finally, I got to find out what happened between two of Colleen McCullough's novels. This biography of Mithradates had the immense challenge of creating a work of non-fiction, largely limited to a handful of authorities of antiquity. It is widely believed that the skull and crossbones was first used by the Knights Templar in the Middle Ages.The Templars or Knights Templar, occasionally documented as the Order of the Temple, The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and the Temple of Solomon was the largest charity for nearly two centuries, especially after it was officially endorsed by the Catholic Church in 1129. It is a comprehensive biography of King Mithradates of Pontus who waged war against the Roman Empire for most of his life and established a huge empire encompassing the Black Sea. Mithradates VI of Pontus did nothing by half measures. He had his armor made a size or two too big to intimidate enemies. The things I know about the ancient world could fit comfortably in the chest pocket of a pair of overalls. Good enough read, but due to a lack of historical sources, there is way, way too much "I imagine this is how it may have happened" creative writing from the author. The only solid history in the book is that both the Romans and Mithridates were cruel murderous tyrants, which is undersold by the author. We’d love your help. Yes it's true, awhile back I was talking to a friend of mine about reading and we were talking about nonfic and I realized that I don't think I ever really have read it outside of school and decided to fix that. Claiming Alexander the Great and Darius of Persia as ancestors, Mithradates inherited a wealthy Black Sea kingdom at age fourteen after his mother poisoned his father. What is this book? In the first full-scale biography of Mithradates in over a century, Mayor, a scholar at Stanford University, allows her central character to reclaim his status as one of the great kings of antiquity. Their property was confiscated; people who killed Roman moneylenders had their debts cancelled; bounties were. Which leads to the second thing I learned about Mithridates – that he was an Anatolian King considered to be one of Rome deadliest enemies. Myth and history blend to create an image of a truly formidable individual, one who managed not to only reign for 57(!!) Happy Women's History Month! If there's more books like this around I will definitely have to start reading more history, science, and philosophy books. Though the author relied on her own theories in some portions where the actual history is lost to us, her assumptions are reasonable and likely courses of action for Mithradates. Littlefinger had worked with Dontos Hollard to deliver the poison, which was hidden in a stone attached to a necklace given to Tyrion's wife by Olenna. You can enjoy Nearpod from any web browser :) Create, engage, and assess your students in every lesson! Learn more about other Library updates. Astronomic phenomena were hugely portentous in antiquity, usually signifying the arrival of a savior, as with Jesus and the Star of Bethlehem. It’s simply dying for cinematic treatment. Poison Credit: Playmakers! No mobile devices in your classroom? Arsenic poisoning is a medical condition that occurs due to elevated levels of arsenic in the body. The Legendary Chinese Poison Made by Forcing Snakes, Scorpions, and Centipedes to Fight. He conducted not one but three wars against Rome, caused more than 80,000 civilians to be slaughtered in a single day, and publicly executed an enemy by pouring molten gold down his throat. There's war, love, poisoning, treachery, murder on a mass scale, and all sorts of things that make history fun. its not a history book, its not a fiction book its some sort of speculative mishmash of the both, i actually became quite irritated by the "lets imagine what could have happened" "this probably happened" "some think this was what happened" "Mithridates probably did this" my god it was like reading the ramblings of a 5 year old making it up as they go-along. Those who attempted to gain sanctuary in the temples were murdered and the temples burned. Then, soon after his birth, lightning struck Mithradates’ crib, leaving a crown-like scar on his forehead. by Princeton University Press, The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome's Deadliest Enemy. Only lately, thanks to History of Rome podcast, have I truly gotten into ancient history as a subject. poison definition: 1. a substance that can make people or animals ill or kill them if they eat or drink it: 2. to…. Bees spun toxic honey from poisonous flowers. George III and History's Poisoned Well. This biography of Mithradates had the immense challenge of creating a work of non-fiction, largely limited to a handful of authorities of antiquity. A very good recreation of the famous king and his life-long struggle against Rome; indomitable in spirit but a mediocre general, Mithridates long reign was due as much to Rome's internal troubles as to his skill and the book only partially reflects that since in pretty much any direct encounter the roman legions trounced the mithridatic armies only for the king to wiggle free due to the internal struggles of the Republic; still a good account of the poison king, though the deadliest enemy is an. Theatre School Poison plays a big role in Hamlet. This biogr. All in all, The Poison King is a wonderful piece of historical storytelling: rich and comprehensive but also fast-paced and suspenseful. Though this episode contains no direct reference to Mithradates, the Poison King has nonetheless enjoyed a long list of credits in the arts and popular culture in the centuries after his death. Long-term exposure can result in thickening of the skin, darker skin, abdominal pain, diarrhea, heart disease, numbness, and cancer. Four stars overall. Persian king Mithradates was a master of warfare and toxicology who nearly brought the Roman Empire down. History is a lot more fun to make than I thought. Of all historic topics, ancient history holds my interest the least. Overall it was pretty good. Laodicea is said to have been a suspect in her husband’s murder, and, fearing for h… Welcome back. Mayor will discuss her book this Thursday, July 22, at the Central Library. Apparently, Buddha told it … Adrienne Mayor’s The Poison King is a stunning portrait of the greatest ruler time forgot. That endows Scorpion with the power of change, particularly in terms of our souls growth thr… A very good recreation of the famous king and his life-long struggle against Rome; indomitable in spirit but a mediocre general, Mithridates long reign was due as much to Rome's internal troubles as to his skill and the book only partially reflects that since in pretty much any direct encounter the roman legions trounced the mithridatic armies only for the king to wiggle free due to the internal struggles of the Republic; still a good account of the poison king, though the deadliest enemy is an exaggeration since no one person after Hannibal deserves that epithet... An entertaining book for the most part. The Poisoned Arrow, a Buddhist Story. It happens that everyone is poisoning their enemies at this time . Some locations are experiencing closures or changes in hours during the COVID-19 pandemic. Old Hamlet, the King of Denmark, is poisoned by his brother, Claudius. But it's not a twentieth century schizoid man, it's a twenty-first century schizoid man. Adrienne Mayor’s The Poison King is a stunning portrait of the greatest ruler time forgot. Get live homework help every day from 2 -11 p.m., or access a variety of educational databases and digital resources using a library card. Mithradates’ greatest contribution to the science of toxicology came not through new recipes for killing (though he had plenty) but rather through his obsession with invincibility. I would warn about spoilers but this is a history book so we all know what happens already. In addition to the poisoning of the royal family as a whole, each of the individual characters of Hamlet were metaphorically poisoned in one way or another. Despite his ruthlessness, he is portrayed positively in the book. The king represents your male energy, and it refers mainly to the aspect of your personality that allows you to lead others and listen to others. Also, what does Macbeth mean when he says if it were done? Helpful. I must say I was not disappointed at all with this one, it really felt more like I was reading a story as opposed to just a dry academic lecture which is what I usually associate non fiction with. The Poison King is a book well worth reading for its perspective on a historical figure seldom mentioned today. Even the ducks around the Black Sea had poisonous flesh – perfect pets for Mithradates. Literature on ancient Rome can overtly or subtly applaud the level of civilization it provided for its people. If you drink enough water , you'll die. Persian king Mithradates was a master of warfare and toxicology who nearly brought the Roman Empire down. Many times, I lost myself in the story as if I was reading a novel. It is a symbol of betrayal, corruption, deceit, revenge and death. Poison is used as a weapon throughout this play. He supposedly came up with a. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. I've had this particular book laying around for years and decided to finally read it as my first non fiction book. It brings together a myriad of resources including ancient texts, modern discoveries, and educated guesswork based on all available facts to put together a fascinating portrait of this long-living master of poisons who dared to stand up to the Roman juggernaut. I've heard of King Mithridates of Pontus before reading the Wikipedia article which is what originally made me int. Be the first to ask a question about The Poison King. One thing that made me not give this a better rating was her constant over-dramatization and the interjecting her own opinions. His interest wasn’t solel. In, One of my college professors recommended this book to me after being able to only briefly cover Mithradates in class and, though it took me a while to become fully ensconced, I really enjoyed reading this book. This is a decent little read (or listen). aoc-share. ( Nehemiah 1:11) The chief cupbearer, or butler, to the king of Egypt was the means of raising Joseph to his high position. The book covers from his boyhood until his death in his 70s, still a fighter till the last. When Adrienne Mayor remains within the limits of her sources (both literary and archaeological). The horrific details of this bloody act of genocide form the first chapter of The Poison King, serving as a caveat to readers that Mithradates was no Harry Potter. Each morning, in search of a universal antidote, Mithradates would ingest his and his doctors’ latest mix of antidotes and poisons. King … 20 New Books on Women’s History. In the spring of 88 BC he organized the slaughter of essentially all the Roman and Italian residents of the Province of Asia which encompassed western Turkey. Though he ultimately fell to Rome in 63 BC, Mithradates put up one hell of a fight. Archaeologists have also discovered gold Italian coins similar to Mithradates’ Pontic coins, showing Dionysus, an allusion to Mithradates’ nickname and a symbol of rebellion against Rome.17”, National Book Award Finalist for Nonfiction (2009), Greek Fire Poison Arrow And Scorpion Bombs, Power, Sister! That’s surprising, too, given his track record for killing. Well, not little; I've been at it for months off and on. The book does an excellent job of making you sympathetic to the subject character despite his being a genocidal despot who never won a significant battle against the Romans, and the historical speculations at the end are intriguing yet well-grounded and. While the writing style is a bit light in spots, I found this to be a great read, and worth it to find. Mithridatism is ‘the practice of protecting oneself against a poison by gradually self-administering non-lethal amounts’, as per good old Wikipedia. Minority women in southern China were accused of poisoning northern men with a … Charismatic, brave and ruthless, the first century B.C. The word is derived from Mithridates VI, the King of Pontus, who so feared being poisoned that he regularly ingested small doses, aiming to develop immunity The book was an incredibly fascinating look into a major part of history that was, surprise surprise, never even mentioned during my time in school. Though her book is about much more than the first half of its title, Mayor relishes in describing her hero’s obsession with toxicology. As Mayor points out in The Poison King: The Life and Legend of Mithradates, Rome’s Deadliest Enemy, nonfatal lightning strikes forecasted fame. ), “Mithradates’ preparations for war included very heavy coin minting in 93–89 BC, to pay for large armies and arms.20”, “The rebels issued coins showing the Italian Bull goring the Roman Wolf. In the late 1700s, a large percentage of Europeans feared the tomato. Refresh and try again. This biography takes place several decades before Christ, when the geographic region of Palestine did not exist and Jerusalem was ruled by the Hasmonean Dynasty of the Kingdom of Judea. ( Genesis 40:1 Genesis 40:21; 41:9) I'll try to be objective but at the end of the day it's still an opinion. The beneficiary proportion is smaller still when the people of conquered lands are counted. Mithridates is believed to have been born sometime around 130 BC, and was about 13 years old when his father, Mithridates V Euergetes was assassinated. Important lessons from a great king on challenging and succeeding for so long a time the ruling power of Rome. 5 people found this helpful. On a single day in 88 BC, using a secret communication method historians have yet to unlock, Mithridates engineered the wholesale butchering of nearly every Roman man, woman and child in Asia Minor – some 80,000 in number. Although Mithridates inherited his father’s throne, he was still a minor at the time, and the kingdom was ruled by a regent, Laodice VI, a Seleucid princess who was the mother of the boy king. No worries! One of my college professors recommended this book to me after being able to only briefly cover Mithradates in class and, though it took me a while to become fully ensconced, I really enjoyed reading this book. Unfortunately, she allows herself some wild flights of fancy better suited for a historical novel and neglects any serious analysis of the reign of Mithradates VI of Pontus, the last serious foe of … Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published As always, it will be broken down into categories with regards to what I thought was done well and issues I had with it. This one poison really seems to do a lot of damage all the way through the play, and it shows because once the King was murdered, everyone begins to die from there. October 1st 2009 It was not uncommon for the Priests to use images of Scorpions on ritual mummification tools to safeguard the precious transforming spirit within. In the spring of 88 BC he organized the slaughter of essentially all the Roman and Italian residents of the Province of Asia which encompassed western Turkey. On page 341, she writes that Pompey “made war on the Jews in Palestine.” Last time I checked, Emperor Hadrian created a province called Palestine in around 135 AD.