Poisoning and Undue Use of Drugs in Roman Law

Abstract

In Roman Penal Law, poisoning is a crime committed mostly by women. Defining what shall be considered poison – as well as other substances able to lead to similar results, like aphrodisiacs – plays a major role in the analysis of said crime.

The essay explains both criminal and procedural aspects of these cases, with grounds on secondary literature and on Roman texts, especially the lex Cornelia de veneficis