The Pumpkinification of (the Divine) Claudius or Apocolocyntosis (divi Claudii) is a political satire on the Roman emperor Claudius, probably written by Seneca the Younger. It is the only example of Menippean satire from the classical era that has survived. The title plays upon "apotheosis", the process by which dead Roman emperors were recognized as gods. For other uses, see Claudius (disambiguation). ... Bust, traditionally thought to be Seneca, now identified by some as Hesiod. ... Menippean Satire is a term employed broadly to refer to satires that are rhapsodic in nature, combining many different targets of ridicule into a fragmented satiric narrative. ... Apotheosis means glorification, usually to a divine level, coming from the Greek word apotheoun, to deify. ...

"Apocolocyntosis" is in fact Latinized Greek, and sometimes transliterated Apokolokyntosis. In the manuscripts the anonymous work bears the title Ludus de morte Divi Claudii ("Play on the death of the Divine Claudius"). The title Apokolokyntosis ("Pumpkinification" or "Gourdification") comes from the Roman historian Dio Cassius, who wrote in Greek. Dio Cassius attributed authorship of a satirical text on the death of Claudius, called Apokolokyntosis, to Seneca the Younger.^[1] Only much later the work referred to by Dio Cassius was identified (with some degree of uncertainty) with the "Ludus" text.^[2] Dio Cassius Cocceianus (c. ...

The story

The work traces the death of Claudius, his ascent to heaven and judgement by the gods, and his eventual descent to Hades. At each turn, of course, Seneca mocks the late emperor's personal failings, most notably his arrogant cruelty and his inarticulateness. After Apollo persuades Clotho to kill the emperor, Claudius walks to Mount Olympus, where he convinces Hercules to let the gods hear his suit for deification in a session of the divine senate. Proceedings are in Claudius favor until Augustus delivers a long and sincere speech listing some of Claudius' most notorious crimes. Unfortunately most of the speeches of the gods are lost through a large gap in the text. Mercury escorts him to Hell. On the way, they see the funeral procession for the emperor, in which a crew of venal characters mourn the loss of the perpetual Saturnalia of the previous reign. In hades, Claudius is greeted by the ghosts of all the friends he has murdered. These shades carry him off to be punished, and the doom of the gods is that he be turned play dice (gambling was one of Claudius' vices) in eternity. He proves useless at that, is handed over to Caligula, who find him useless, too, and ends up being a law clerk in the court of the underworld. Hades [from Greek HadÄ“s (), originally HaidÄ“s () or AïdÄ“s (); of uncertain origin,[1] although it has been ascribed to Greek unseen[2]] refers to both the ancient Greek abode of the dead and the god of that underworld. ... Lycian Apollo, early Imperial Roman copy of a fourth century Greek original (Louvre Museum) In Greek and Roman mythology, Apollo (Greek: Απόλλων, Apóllōn; or Απελλων, Apellōn), the ideal of the kouros,[1] was the archer-god of medicine and healing and also a bringer of death-dealing plague; as... In Greek mythology, Clotho, the Greek word Κλωθώ for spinner, was the youngest of the Moirae. ... Mytikas Summit, Mt Olympus Mount Olympus (also transliterated as Mount Ólympos, and on modern maps, Óros Ólimbos) is the highest mountain in Greece, at 2,919 (according to new measurements [1]) meters high and one of the highest, in real absolute altitude from base to top, of Europe since its... Hercules is the Latin name used in Roman mythology for a hero corresponding to the Greek mythological hero Heracles (or Herakles). ... The Roman Senate (Latin, Senatus) was a deliberative body which was important in the government of both the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. ... Augustus (Latin: IMPERATOR CAESAR DIVI FILIVS AVGVSTVS[1]; September 23, 63 BC – August 19, AD 14), known as Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (in English Octavian) for the period of his life prior to 27 BC, was the first and among the most important of the Roman Emperors. ... This article treats Mercury in cult practice and in archaic Rome. ... Saturnalia was the feast at which the Romans commemorated the dedication of the temple of the god Saturn, which took place on 17 December. ... Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (August 31, 12 – January 24, 41), most commonly known as Caligula, was the third Roman Emperor and a member of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, ruling from 37 to 41. ...

Context

Seneca had some personal reason for satirizing Claudius, as the emperor had banished him to Corsica. In addition, the political climate after the emperor's death may have made attacks on him acceptable. However, alongside these personal considerations, Seneca appears also to have been concerned with what he saw as an overuse of apotheosis as a political tool. If an emperor as flawed as Claudius could receive such treatment, he argued elsewhere, then people would cease to believe in the gods at all. Capital Ajaccio Land area¹ 8,680 km² President of the Executive Council Ange Santini (UMP) (since 2004) Population   - Jan. ... Apotheosis means glorification, usually to a divine level, coming from the Greek word apotheoun, to deify. ...

See also

• Imperial cult (Ancient Rome)

The Imperial cult in Ancient Rome was the worship of the Roman Emperor as a god. ...

Notes

1. ^ Seneca himself had composed a work that he called Gourdification,--a word made on the analogy of "deification" (Dio Cassius, Book 60, No. 35 - Translation by Herbert Baldwin Foster, 1905, retrieved from Project Gutenberg)
2. ^ See introduction of W. H. D. Rouse's translation: "This piece is ascribed to Seneca by ancient tradition; it is impossible to prove that it is his, and impossible to prove that it is not. The matter will probably continue to be decided by every one according to his view of Seneca's character and abilities: in the matters of style and of sentiment much may be said on both sides. Dion Cassius (lx, 35) says that Seneca composed an "apokolokintosis" or Pumpkinification of Claudius after his death, the title being a parody of the usual "apotheosis"; but this title is not given in the MSS. of the Ludus de Morte Claudii, nor is there anything in the piece which suits the title very well."

Sources

Text of the Apocolocyntosis

• At Project Gutenberg: E-text No. 10001, English translation of the Apocolocyntosis by W. H. D. Rouse, 1920
• Claudius the God, by Robert Graves contains a translation of the Apocolocyntosis in the annexes.

Project Gutenberg (often abbreviated as PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive, and distribute cultural works. ... I, Claudius is a novel by Robert Graves, (ISBN 067972477X) first published in 1934, dealing sympathetically with the life of the Roman Emperor Claudius and the history of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty and Roman Empire, from Julius Caesars assassination in 44 BC to Caligulas assassination in 41 AD... Portrait of Robert Graves (circa 1974) by Rab Shiell Robert von Ranke Graves (24 July 1895 – 7 December 1985) was an English scholar, poet, and novelist. ...

Other sources

Altman, Marion (1938). "Ruler Cult in Seneca." Classical Philology 33 (1938): 198-204.

Astbury, Raymond (1988). "The Apocolocyntosis." The Classical Review ns 38 (1988): 44-50.

Braund, D.C. (1980). "The Aedui, Troy, and the Apocolocyntosis." The Classical Review ns 30 (1980): 420-5.

Colish, Marcia (1976). "Seneca's Apocolocyntosis as a Possible Source for Erasmus' Julius Exclusus." Renaissance Quarterly 29 (1976): 361-368.

Relihan, Joel (1984). "On the Origin of 'Menippean Satire' as the Name of a Literary Genre." Classical Philology 79 (1984): 226-9.