Bliss on stilts.

Seemingly, the asp whose venom was attributed as the cause of Cleopatra’s – along with her maidens – death has been exonerated.

In what is surely the most beguiling piece of marketing ever, a museum has conjured a story promoting both its Egyptology department and local academy – University of Manchester – by claiming an Asp is simply too small a beastie to have enough poison fatal for three.

Although this is the second snake story to be covered on an impossibly slow news day (Chinese Premier notwithstanding) it’s adorable to ponder on serpentine slitherings that occupy Mancunian hearts and minds.

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