The Problems with Claudius’ Missing Ascension in Seneca’s Apocolocyntosis

Abstract

Following a profoundly degrading death, the Roman emperor Claudius arrives in heaven in Seneca’s Apocolocyntosis, expecting deification like his predecessors Augustus and Tiberius. Yet after a brief consultation, the gods reject him and instead banish him to the underworld. But how did Claudius ascend to heaven in the first place? The text is completely silent on this essential part of his journey. This paper discusses and contextualises the four theories hitherto proposed, especially in light of the lacuna between chapters 7 and 8, as well as the question of whether Claudius was aware of his ascension, and further develops these ideas with original considerations.