Cantarella was a poison allegedly used by the Borgias during the papacy of Pope Alexander VI . It may have been arsenic , came in the shape of "a white powder with a pleasant taste", and was sprinkled on food or in wine. If it did exist, it left no trace in the works of contemporary writers.
4-562: The exact origin of the term cantarella is unknown. It may have been derived from kantharos ( Ancient Greek : κάνθαρος ), a type of ancient Greek cup used for drinking, or the Neo-Latin word cantharellus ('small cup'), in reference to the cups in which the poison would have been served. The word may also be related to kantharis (Ancient Greek: κάνθαρις ), referring to the Spanish fly and other blister beetles that secrete cantharidin ,
8-400: A substance that is poisonous in large doses. This article about medicinal chemistry is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Italian history article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Kantharos A kantharos ( / ˈ k æ n θ ə ˌ r ɒ s / ; Ancient Greek : κάνθαρος ) or cantharus ( / ˈ k æ n θ ə r ə s / ) is
12-535: A type of ancient Greek cup used for drinking. Although almost all surviving examples are in Greek pottery , the shape, like many Greek vessel types, probably originates in metalwork. In its iconic "Type A" form, it is characterized by its deep bowl, tall pedestal foot, and pair of high-swung handles which extend above the lip of the pot. The Greek words kotylos (κότῦλος, masculine) and kotyle (κοτύλη, feminine) are other ancient names for this same shape. The kantharos
16-411: Is a cup used to hold wine , probably both for drinking and for ritual use in libations and offerings . The kantharos seems to be an attribute of Dionysus , the god of wine, who was associated with vegetation and fertility . As well as a banqueting cup, they could be used in pagan rituals as a symbol of rebirth or resurrection , the immortality offered by wine, "removing in moments of ecstasy
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