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Homicideandaggressioninthehistoryofmankind
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ordiethismomentinhisroom.Sowiltthounotagain,obeyingallbehestsofthy
master,beholdwhatisnotlawfulforthee”.Gygeschosethefirstoption(Hero-
dotus,BookI).
Herodotusstatesthattheassassinationofthekingcausedarevolt,which
Gygesquelledwhentheoracledecreedinhisfavour:“ThePythoness,however,
addedthat,inthefifthgenerationfromGyges,vengeanceshouldcomeforthe
Heraclides”(Herodotus,BookI).ThefifthgenerationwasCroesus,whodidnot
creditSolonwhenthelattertoldhimhewasthehappiestofmen,andfromwhom
Cyrustookimmeasurableriches.
ThesameCyrus,whenconqueringtheneighbouringstates,wantedtowin
thelandoftheMassagetaiandtheirqueen,Tomyris.Sherefusedandpleaded
forpeace,buttonoavail.DuringabattleCyrustookhersooninthrall.Tomyris
sentaheraldtoaskforhisreturn:“Restoretomemysonanddepartfromthis
landwithoutpenalty,triumphantoverathirdpartofthearmyoftheMassagetai:
butifthoushaltnotdoso,IsweartotheebytheSun,whoislordoftheMas-
sagetai,thatsurelyIwillgivetheethyllofblood,insatiableasthouart”(Hero-
dotus,BookI).IntheensuingbattleCyrusfell.“ThenTomyrislledaskinwith
humanbloodandhadsearchmadeamongthePersiandeadforthecorpseof
Cyrus:andwhenshefoundit,shelethisheaddownintotheskinanddoing
outragetothecorpseshesaidatthesametimethis:‘ThoughIyetliveandhave
overcometheeinght,neverthelessthoudidstundomebytakingmysonwith
craft:butIaccordingtomythreatwillgivetheethyllofblood’.Nowasre-
gardstheendofthelifeofCyrustherearemanytalestold,butthiswhichIhave
relatedistomymindthemostworthyofbelief”(Herodotus,BookI),con-
cludedthehistorian,andthistale,eventhoughofquestionablereliability,illus-
tratesthenatureoffemalevengeance.Suchaccountsprobablycontributedto
theemergenceofpopularopinionsonthefemalecruelty,cynicism,andten-
dencytoinictsuffering.
Womenhavealwaysbeencommittinghomicides,butintheAntiquityitwas
thepoisonersthatreceivedthemostpublicity.InRomeintheyear184BCtwo
thousandwomenwereexecutedonthatcharge.Inthe1stcenturyAD,afamous
poisonernamedLocustawasactiveinthecirclesofthehighesteliteofRome
(Koźmińska1955).Inthelatercenturiessuchnotoriousmurderesseswillbere-
calledasaproofthattheartofpoisoningisthedomainofwomen.Historywill
retainthenamesofthosewhosepolitical,religiousormercenarymotivesdrove
themtoaggressionandmurder,notonlybypoison.Thegreatfemalekillersof
theAntiquityandoftheBible,evenifdrivenbydifferentmotivation,weremade
immortalbyliterarytextsandworksofart,oftenfocusingonthemotivesthatled
themtocrime.