According to the Roman historian Tacitus, in AD 65 Poppaea Sabina was killed by her husband, Emperor Nero, who had lost his temper with her. She was heavily pregnant and a kick in the belly was enough to end her life. Is this true, or was Tacitus spreading evil slander about Nero? We may never know for sure, but evidence recently found on a frayed piece of papyrus indicates that there was another version of the story, where Poppaea Sabina made a loving farewell speech to Nero before darting off to heaven on a chariot driven by a goddess.HT Rogue Classicism.[...]
This fragmentary third-century papyrus from Oxyrhynchus may add some support for a revisionist view of Nero, which argues that the surviving records about him were written by his enemies and lack credibility. The current British Museum exhibition on Nero is sympathetic to ths view. If Paul Schubert's interpretation of the papyrus is correct (it mentions Nero by name, but not Poppaea), it gives us a glimpse outside the narrative.
This essay also deals more generally with the subject of apotheosis traditions in the Roman period. Jesus wasn't the only one to ascend to heaven and Elijah wasn't the only one to go theren in a chariot.
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