| Julia Agrippina's Chalice | |
|---|---|
|
Origin |
Julia Agrippa |
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Type |
Chalice |
|
Effects |
Imbibes poison into the environment of romantic rivals, family and government officials. Greater agitation, proclivity for backstabbing and sexual behavior. |
|
Downsides |
Forms a sinkhole over exposed earth or body of water when engaged in power motivated trysts. |
|
Activation |
Drinking |
|
Collected by |
Warehouse 5 |
|
Section |
|
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Date of Collection |
608 AD |
| [Source] | |
Origin[]
Julia Agrippina (6 November AD 15 – 23 March AD 59), also referred to as Agrippina the Younger, was Roman empress from 49 to 54 AD, the fourth wife and niece of Emperor Claudius, and the mother of Nero. Agrippina was one of the most prominent women in the Julio-Claudian dynasty, great granddaughter of Augustus (the first Roman emperor) and the daughter of the Roman general Germanicus and Agrippina the Elder. Her father, Germanicus, was the nephew and heir apparent of the second emperor, Tiberius. Agrippina's brother Caligula became emperor in 37 AD. After Caligula was assassinated in 41 AD, Germanicus' brother Claudius took the throne. Agrippina married Claudius in 49 AD.
Agrippina has been described by modern and ancient sources as a ruthless, ambitious, and domineering woman who used her powerful political ties to influence the affairs of the Roman state, even managing to successfully maneuver her son Nero into the line of succession. Claudius eventually became aware of her plotting, but died in 54 AD under suspicious circumstances, potentially poisoned by Agrippina herself. She exerted significant political influence in the early years of her son’s reign, but eventually fell out of favor with him and was killed in 59 AD. Physically, Agrippina was described as a beautiful and reputable woman; and, according to Pliny the Elder, had a double canine in her upper right jaw, which was regarded as a sign of good fortune in Ancient Rome.
Reign of Caligula[]
In 39, Agrippina and her sister Livilla were exiled to the Pontine Islands, for a failed attempt on Caligula’s life. Claudius lifted the exiles of Agrippina and Livilla, where Agrippina was reunited with her estranged son. After the death of her first husband, Agrippina tried to make shameless advances on the future emperor Galba. He showed no interest, being devoted to his wife Aemilia Lepida. On one occasion, Galba's mother-in-law gave Agrippina a public reprimand and a slap in the face before a whole bevy of married women.
During the first years his reign, Claudius was married to the infamous Empress Valeria Messalina. Messalina was Agrippina's paternal second cousin. Among the victims of Messalina's intrigues were Agrippina's surviving sister Livilla, who was charged with adultery with Seneca the Younger. Although Agrippina was very influential at this time, she kept a low profile and stayed away from the imperial palace and the court of the emperor. Claudius made references to her in his speeches: "my daughter and foster child, born and bred, in my lap, so to speak". When Claudius decided to marry her, he persuaded a group of senators that the marriage should be arranged in the public interest. In Roman society, an uncle (Claudius) marrying his niece (Agrippina) was considered incestuous and immoral.
Agrippina and Claudius married on New Year's Day in AD 49 and the marriage was met with widespread disapproval. Agrippina's marriage to Claudius was not based on love, but power-- possibly being a part of her plan to make her son Lucius the new emperor. Shortly after marrying Claudius, Agrippina eliminated her rival Lollia Paulina by persuading Claudius to charge Paulina with allegations of black magic use. Claudius stipulated that Paulina did not receive a hearing and her property was confiscated. She left Italy, but Agrippina was unsatisfied. Allegedly on Agrippina's orders, Paulina committed suicide.
Empress[]
Agrippina became empress in AD 49 upon marrying her uncle Claudius. She also became stepmother to Claudia Antonia, Claudius' daughter and only child from his second marriage to Aelia Paetina; and to the young Claudia Octavia and Britannicus, Claudius' children with Valeria Messalina. Agrippina removed or eliminated anyone from the palace or the imperial court whom she thought was loyal and dedicated to the memory of the late Messalina. She also eliminated or removed anyone whom she considered was a potential threat to her position and the future of her son, one of her victims being Lucius' second paternal aunt and Messalina's mother Domitia Lepida the Younger.
In her capacity as Augusta, Agrippina quickly became a trusted advisor to Claudius, and by AD 54, she exerted a considerable influence over the decisions of the emperor. Statues of her were erected in many cities across the Empire and her face appeared on coins. In the Senate, her followers were advanced with public offices and governorships. She would often to a place outside the imperial court and listened to the Senate from behind the scenes, and Claudius even allowed her to be a separate court and decide on empire matters. Agrippina even signed government documents and officially dealt with foreign ambassadors. She also claimed auctoritas (power of commanding) and Autokrateira (self-ruler as empress) in front of the Senate, the people, and the army. However, this privileged position caused resentment among the senatorial class and the imperial family.
Nero and Octavia were married on 9 June AD 53. Claudius later regretted marrying Agrippina and adopting Nero and began to favor Britannicus, preparing him for the throne. These actions gave Agrippina a motive to allegedly eliminate Claudius. Ancient sources say she poisoned Claudius on 13 October AD 54 with a plate of deadly mushrooms at a banquet, thus enabling Nero to quickly take the throne as emperor. Accounts vary wildly with regard to this private incident, and according to more modern sources, it is possible that Claudius died of natural causes, being 63 years old. In the aftermath of Claudius's death, Agrippina, who initially kept the death secret, tried to consolidate power by immediately ordering that the palace and the capital be sealed. After all the gates were blockaded and exit of the capital forbidden, she introduced Nero first to the soldiers and then to the senators as emperor
Reign of Nero[]
Nero was raised to emperor and Agrippina was named a priestess of the cult of the deified Claudius. She now attempted to use her son's youth to participate in the rule of the Roman Empire. She enjoyed imperial prerogatives: holding court with the emperor by her side, being allowed to visit senate meetings from behind a curtain, and appearing as a partner to her son in the royal coins and statues. In year one of Nero's reign, Agrippina began losing influence over Nero when he began to have an affair with the freed woman Claudia Acte, which Agrippina strongly disapproved of and violently scolded him for. Agrippina began to support Britannicus in her possible attempt to make him emperor, or to threaten Nero. The panicking emperor decided on whether to eliminate his mother or his step-brother. Soon, Nero had Britannicus secretly poisoned during his own banquet in February AD 55.
Multiple contemporary historians claim that Nero considered poisoning or stabbing her, but felt these methods were too difficult and suspicious, so he settled on building a self-sinking boat. Though aware of the plot, Agrippina embarked on this boat and was nearly crushed by a collapsing lead ceiling only to be saved by the side of a couch breaking the ceiling's fall. Though the collapsing ceiling missed Agrippina, it crushed her attendant who was outside by the helm.
The boat failed to sink as a result of the collapse of the lead ceiling, so the crew then sank the boat, but Agrippina swam to shore. Her friend Acerronia Polla was attacked by oarsmen while still in the water, and was either bludgeoned to death or drowned, since she was exclaiming that she was Agrippina, in the hope of being saved. News of Agrippina's survival reached Nero so he sent three assassins to kill her.
Effects[]
Activates when drank from, preferably at a party or event. Generates miniscule amounts of various poisons for multiple targets, differing with each person. It appears anywhere – in food and drink, on their clothes, near the air they breathe, in any form imaginable. Only one type will fixate on a person, although the amounts will fluctuate with usage. Exposure becomes fatal based upon the user’s temperament towards the subject.
Affects people the user continually focuses on who have government positions, family members and even romantic rivals. When the drinker is agitated, more of their aggression will filter towards the others. All will experience intense bouts of anger, jealousy, possessiveness, lustful desire, duplicitous behavior, need for external validation and other self-serving hedonistic tendencies. If discord occurs from direct confrontation or even hearsay rumors, the poisoning speeds up to toxic concentrations while the user is only minorly miffed.
Summons a sinkhole, whether over land or water, when any of the affected individuals engage in power squabbles. The wider reaching their power grabs, the larger the hole. This is especially true when they manipulate close allies such as family or lovers to get what they want. Once the activator is removed from the picture, the poisoning ceases growing until a new user is found. Any buildup is slowly filtered away, but most remains even after a new set of people are selected.
Usage[]
The chalice was identified after a mass spate of poisonings in the Roman court system during the reign of Arcadius. Disappeared until the era of Byzantine emperor Phocas, where collecting agents noted the chalice reappeared often when a weak or manipulative leader headed the current region. Emotions of extreme worldly desire, anger and envy were identified by Dante Aligheri during Warehouse 8 as a suitable representation for the circle of lust later identified in Inferno.
| Dante's Inferno Artifacts |
|---|
| Vitellius' Plate • Plutus' Key • Virgil's Staff • Epicurus' Letters • Giovanni Malatesta's Gloves • Myrrha's Noose |
| Judas Iscariot’s Thirty Silver Coins • Julia Agrippina's Chalice • Kublai Khan's Leather Belt |