Poppaea Sabina initially dismissed to Campania, coincidentally the same general geographic area that Pompeii, Poppaea's place of birth, is located. She was then imprisoned on the island of Pandateria (modern Ventotene), a common place of banishment for members of the imperial family who fell from favor because of a charge of adultery. During his eight-year marriage to Claudia Octavia, Nero produced no children, and in AD 62, Poppaea became pregnant. When this happened, Nero divorced Octavia, claimed she was barren, and married Poppaea 12 days after the divorce. The Jewish historian Josephus makes questionable claims of a very different Poppaea. He calls
Brigand and His Wife in Prayer a brigand and his pregnant wife kneeling in prayer before a roadside shrine. The place of worship takes the form of a simple wooden cross located on a remote road, with vast mountains towering in the background. The couple are both dressed as people of their class and vocation would be. The husband is dressed in a frilled shirt and overcoat, and rests his musket at his shoulder. The wife is dressed in traditional peasant's garb and clutches a rosary in her right hand. They pray for the health and success of each-other, specifically for the success of the husband's