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Pliny reports that around 77 AD, Nero's wife Poppaea had 500 mares with her and bathed her whole body in their milk. He also reports the opinion that donkey milk smooths the facial skin.
Historical account: The information provided here reflects the state of knowledge of the time. It is not scientifically proven, is not a recommendation, and cannot be applied to the present day. Donkey milk is a food, not a medicine.
The source in brief
- Author: Pliny the Elder (Gaius Plinius Secundus)
- Work: Naturalis historia
- Passage: Book 11, § 238 (Ch. 96) and Book 28, § 183 (Ch. 50)
- Time and place: around 77 AD · Roman Empire
- Type of source: Ancient natural history
The original text
Poppaea certe, Domiti Neronis coniunx, quingentas per omnia secum fetas trahens, balnearum etiam solio totum corpus illo lacte macerabat, extendi quoque cutem credens.
In any case, Poppaea, the wife of Domitius Nero, took five hundred nursing mares with her everywhere and even soaked her whole body in this milk in the bath, because she believed that it would also tighten the skin.
Latin, NH 11,238
Cutem in facie erugari et tenerescere candore lacte asinino putant.
It is believed that donkey milk makes the facial skin wrinkle-free and tender with a fair complexion.
Latin, NH 28,183 (Mayhoff text)
German translation: own, free translation by the DON DONKEY'S editorial team.
Background
Gaius Plinius Secundus (23/24–79 AD) was a Roman officer, administrative official, and scholar. He dedicated his "Naturalis historia" in 37 books to the later emperor Titus in 77 AD. It is a collection of knowledge that, according to his own account, was compiled from thousands of individual pieces of information from older authors.
Poppaea Sabina was the wife of Emperor Nero from 62 AD and died in 65 AD. Pliny therefore wrote a few decades after her death, at a time when her display of splendor in Rome was still widely known.
What the source reports
In Book 11, Pliny first describes the properties of various types of milk and then comes to donkey milk: it is attributed with contributing to the fair complexion of women. As evidence, he mentions Poppaea, who took five hundred mares with foals with her everywhere and bathed her whole body in their milk, because she believed that it would tighten the skin.
In Book 28, he takes up the topic again: It is believed that donkey milk makes the facial skin smoother and more tender, and some women moistened their cheeks with it after a strict ritual. Poppaea had introduced this custom, also prepared her bathtubs in this way, and was therefore accompanied by whole herds of mares.
Pliny consistently uses cautious language: "it is believed" (putant), "it is assumed" (existimatur), "she believed" (credens). He reports a widespread opinion and custom, not a finding he himself tested.
Numbers and facts
- 500 – mares that Poppaea took with her according to NH 11,238
- 65 AD – year of Poppaea Sabina's death
- 77 AD – dedication of the Naturalis historia to Titus
- 37 – books of the Naturalis historia
Critical assessment
- Contemporary, but reporting source: Pliny wrote only about ten years after Poppaea's death. However, he reports a widespread account without saying where he knows the number 500 from. The same number is found over a century later in Cassius Dio.
- Uncertain numbers in the tradition: The numerical data in this passage differ depending on the manuscript and text edition. We therefore do not report them in detail.
- Belief instead of proof: Pliny himself characterizes the effect on the skin as an assumption. For antiquity, the passage documents a beauty practice of the Roman upper class, not a proven effect.
- Modern assessment: No statements about the effects of donkey milk on the skin can be derived from the anecdote; such effects are not scientifically proven by this source.
Our assessment
These passages are the actual source of the well-known account of the donkey milk bath – and they are about Poppaea, not Cleopatra. We quote them as cultural history of Roman beauty care, without deriving any promises of effect from them.
Original quotes, all facts, and the complete assessment: Pliny: Poppaea and donkey milk. Further sources and studies in the Research Archive.
Proof: Latin text Book 11, §§ 236–238 (Wikisource); Latin text Book 28, § 183, Mayhoff edition (Perseus); English translation Bostock/Riley 1855, Book 11, Ch. 96 (Perseus) · Compiled by the DON DONKEY'S editorial team, as of November 2026.
End of source summary. The source does not refer to DON DONKEY'S® or our products. Our donkey milk is a food.
