Un tonto entre los diosesVilipendio del monarca

Abstract

This article explores the contradictory world in which a mortal is turned into a god by his fellows, and the perplexity that these fellows may experience and even occasionally transmit concerning this phenomenon. The study focuses on the specific case of the divinisation of the Emperor Claudius through comparison of the essential texts with information about the conversion of this emperor into a god: the Apocolocyntosis of the divine Claudius, attributed to Seneca; Nero’s funeral oration, also composed by Seneca, and the biography of Claudius, written by Suetonius. The study of these sources allows us to reflect on the means of production of historical information and its evaluation, particularly relevant in the case of Seneca, concerning the diversity of opinions and positions, not always innocent or disinterested, put across by the sources.