Did toxic wine kill Alexander the Great?

Scientists 'find plant behind ancient leader's agonizing death over 12 days'
Alexander the Great died in 323 BC at the age of 32 His death has been a point of mystery, with numerous theories as to what caused it What is known is that he suffered for 12 days before dying A new theory from the University of Otago in New Zealand claims his wine had been spiked with a plant that, when fermented, is incredibly deadly
By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 03:15, 11 January 2014 | UPDATED: 14:59, 11 January 2014

Alexander the Great built a legendary empire before his untimely - and mysterious - death at the age of just 32 in 323 BC. Some historians argued was death was due to natural causes, while others maintained he was secretly murdered at a celebratory banquet. Now, an Otago University scientist may have unraveled the case some 2000 years later. National Poisons Centre toxicologist Dr Leo Schep thinks the culprit could be poisonous wine made from an innocuous-looking plant, according to a report in the New Zealand Herald .

Death by w ine? New findings, w hich are ten years in the m aking, suggest that Alexander the Great died from drinking w ine that w as tainted w ith a seem ingly innocuous plant called hellebore

Pretty but deadly: Veratrum album , know n as w hite hellebore, is a plant that, once ferm ented properly, can be lethal

Dr Schep, who has been researching the toxicological evidence for a decade, said some of the poisoning theories - including arsenic and strychnine - were not plausible. Death would have come far too fast, he said. His research, co-authored by Otago University classics expert Dr Pat Wheatley and published in the medical journal Clinical Toxicology, found the most plausible culprit was Veratrum album, known as white hellebore. The white-flowered plant, which can be fermented into a poisonous wine, was well-known to the Greeks as a herbal treatment for inducing vomiting. Crucially, it could have accounted for the 12 torturous days that Alexander took to die, speechless and unable to walk.

The new theory behind the death of Alexander the Great started here, at the University of Otago in New Zealand

Other suggested poisons - including hemlock, aconite, wormwood, henbane and autumn crocus - would likely have killed him far more quickly. Dr Schep began looking into the mystery in 2003 when he was approached by a company working on a BBC documentary. 'They asked me to look into it for them and I said, 'Oh yeah, I'll give it a go, I like a challenge' - thinking I wasn't going to find anything,' he said. 'And to my utter surprise, and their surprise, we found something that could fit the bill.' Dr Schep's theory was that Veratrum album could have been fermented as a wine that was given to the leader.

Dr Leo Schep, toxicologist at the National Poisons Centre and scientist at the Otago University in New Zealand, thinks a poisonous w ine m ade from a plant m ay have killed Alexander the Great

It would have tasted 'very bitter' but it could have been sweetened - and Alexander was likely to have been very drunk at the banquet. But whether Alexander was poisoned is still a mystery. We'll never know really,' Dr Schep concluded.

Comments (119)
Share what you think Newest Oldest Best rated Worst rated View all

Rock Guitar, New York, 9 minutes ago Nice of DM to mention natural poison - Veratrum album, known as white hellebore - that kill slowly over 12 days (leaving one "Speechless and unable to walk"). Then DM lists poisons that "Kill more quickly" - hemlock, aconite, wormwood, henbane and autumn crocus. The dark side of the law is now that much more effective.

Reply
0 1

New Comment

New

Click to rate whitechapel, east end, United Kingdom, 23 minutes ago Yawn yawn Vote ukip.

Reply
7 0

New Comment

New

Click to rate PrivateSi, WORCS, 23 minutes ago Silent Witness GONE MAD!

Reply
1 1

New Comment

New

Click to rate UKIP, ex Tory, Amber Valley, 44 minutes ago So we still don't know then! That was a waste of an afternoon for someone.

Reply
2 10

New Comment

New

Click to rate

ONSLOW1066, LONDON, United Kingdom, 56 minutes ago Lets find the killer and hang him !!! Ok, OK, We will have to dig him up first. Just like what happened to O. Cromwell.

Reply
3 6

New Comment

New

Click to rate Tigerpaw16, Pembroke, 1 hour ago Who really cares how he died? He dead! And has been for dead since, 323 BC. And they spent 10 years and how many million of dollars on this? For what reason? To prove he died a certain way! He dead! Get over it!

Reply
12 7

New Comment

New

Click to rate Im, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 1 hour ago I accept that New Zealand is not the most lively spot on the planet but couldn't they at least have looked for something relevant to them to research, like how long before human life there will die out after all the young have emigrated to work in this country

Reply
10

New Comment

New

2 Click to rate

Tough As Nails, Wild Wild West, Germany, 1 hour ago No, I did.

Reply
1 1

New Comment

New

Click to rate ComteDeLaFere, Midwest, United States, 1 hour ago He could have just been killed outright and Ptolemy made the whole story up. Then became the first pharoh

Reply
5 3

New Comment

New

Click to rate Alan, London, United Kingdom, 1 hour ago No a Lightsaber did, who the hell knows.

Reply
5 6

New Comment

New

Click to rate The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

Who is this week's top commenter? Find out now Published by Associated Newspapers Ltd Part of the Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday & Metro Media Group Associated Newspapers Ltd