Disability and Ability in the Accounts of the Emperor Claudius A thesis submitted To Kent State University in partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Arts by Amanda Whitacre August, 2018 © Copyright by Amanda Whitacre All rights reserved Thesis written by Amanda Joree Whitacre B.A., Kent State University, 2016 B.A., Kent State University, 2016 M.A., Kent State University, 2018 Approved by Jennifer Larson____, Advisor Keiran Dunne_____, Chair, Department of Modern and Classical Language Studies James L. Blank____, Dean College of the Arts and Sciences Table of Contents Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... iv Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Seneca’s Apocolocyntosis ............................................................................................................... 6 Claudius’ Disability in Early Life ............................................................................................. 29 Hiding the Disability ................................................................................................................. 39 Claudius’ Physical Description and Physiognomy ................................................................... 44 Reception of Claudius’ Disability in Later Life ........................................................................ 52 Dio’s Roman History .................................................................................................................... 59 Conclusions ................................................................................................................................... 72 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 79 iii Acknowledgments I would like to thank Dr. Larson for helping to make this project possible, as well as the rest of the Kent State University Classics faculty for the knowledge they passed on to me. I would also like to thank my family and all those who supported me in this project and in life. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13 (NKJV) iv Introduction Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, better known as Claudius, belonged to the Julio-Claudian dynasty and was the fourth Emperor of Rome. Although he was not as glorified as his great- uncle Augustus or as notorious as his successor, Nero, Claudius did have his rightful place in history. During his reign, he handled riots among the Jews in Alexandria. His correspondence on the riots will be used in this thesis. He also finished building the Aqua Claudia, the aqueduct started by his predecessor Caligula, and perhaps his best known accomplishment is the expansion of the empire to Britain when he invaded in A.D. 43. Despite these accomplishments as well as others, Claudius has been misunderstood by ancient and modern observers because of the criticism he received in his lifetime and after. The point of criticism which is the focus of this thesis is the fact that Claudius had a physical disability. Of course, Claudius’ disability was not the only part of who he was, nor is it the sole source for the criticism. Claudius has been criticized for his personality traits including his gluttony, gambling habits and submission to his social inferiors, but it has been argued that these traits stem from his disability. Ernestine F. Leon discusses that Claudius’ dice playing (Suetonius Lives 33.2) may have developed from the fact that Claudius spent a lot of time in solitude as a child and used dice playing as a past time as well as a way to develop his fine motor skills in order that he would be able to participate in the activity with others. Additionally, Leon connects Claudius’ indulgence in food (Suetonius Lives 33.1) with his disability on a psychological level by explaining that over eating was a way for Claudius to receive satisfaction 1 which compensated for his social maladjustment or unhappiness.1 The disability was a part of Claudius which he could not change and therefore affected every aspect of his life. However, as I attempt to discuss in this thesis, Claudius’ disability was made more apparent when there was a question of his leadership abilities. Although retroactive diagnosis is impossible based on historical evidence alone, there have been explanations of what a diagnosis for Claudius’ condition could have been, based on the symptoms in the descriptions.2 Based on the general nature of Claudius’ symptoms (atypical gait, uncontrolled movements and speech impediment) post-polio syndrome is a possible diagnosis, also referred to infantile paralysis, was the accepted theory around the time of World War Two.3 More recently the two conditions associated with Claudius’ symptoms are cerebral palsy (CP) and dystonia. These conditions are caused by trauma to the brain before or at birth. Symptoms of these conditions include a lack of motor control, clinical spasticity, muscle weakness, slowness in speech and an appearance of a slow intellect. Dystonia also causes twisting and repetitive movements and is heightened by stress. 4 A less popular theory is Tourette’s syndrome, a condition in which an individual both motor and vocal tics.5 Transverse myelitis is yet another possibility, given that the disorder can be caused by an infection, which could be easily picked up in the unsanitary conditions of the ancient world. Transverse myelitis is an inflammation of the spinal cord which causes weakness in the arms and legs, pain, sensory 1 Leon 1948, 85. 2 Graumann 2013. In this article, Graumann discusses how retrospective diagnosis is problematic due to the vocabulary of the ancient language as well as the descripition are found in non-medical sources, such as satire, which are exaggerated. The discussion focused on the descriptions of hermaphrodites in antiquity. 3 Scramuzza 1940, 35. 4 CP: Leon 1948; Levick, 1990, 14. Dystonia: Rice 2000; Laes 2013, 164. 5 Murad 2010. 2 alterations as well as bowel and bladder dysfunction.6 The symptoms of transverse myelitis can also diminish over time, just as Claudius’ appear to do as recorded in Suetonius Lives 5.317. Even though the purpose of this thesis is not to determine what Claudius’ condition was, it is important to recognize that his symptoms reflect actual medical conditions and not simply exaggerations from history. Regardless of what modern scholars speculate Claudius’ diagnosis was, the point that is relevant to the thesis is that he had a disability. It is Claudius’ disability that had me fascinated with him when I learned about him in Roman History. I was born with CP, so when I learned about a man who walked with a limp, had a speech impediment and ruled the Roman Empire, I was thrilled. I saw myself in Claudius. He was a man who was intelligent and capable of doing great things, but often times was misunderstood because the condition of his body did not fit the mold of what society perceived an intelligent and capable man to be. When it was time to determine the topic of my thesis, I knew I wanted to write on Claudius. I kept going back to how Claudius was described because his disability: passive, stupid and unworthy and how these qualities seem to contradict the evidence that he was in control, intelligent and capable of ruling. As the nature of Claudius’ disability as well as the impact it had on Claudius’ life are discussed, it is imperative that the reader understands that the passages which are presented in 6 Although I was not able to find a source which connects Claudius’ affliction with transverse myelitis, like the other conditions named here, the symptoms of transverse myelitis are in line with the description of Claudius’ symptoms. For more information on transverse myelitis see the fact sheet provided by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (2018). 7 Valitudine sicut olim gravi, ita princeps prospera usus est excepto stomachi dolore, quo se correptum etiam de consciscenda morte cogitasse dixit. Just as he was once in grave health so he enjoyed prosperous health as the Emperor with the exception of stomach pain, which he said that when it seized him, that he even considered killing himself. 3 this thesis are examined with both etic and emic perspectives in mind.8 An etic perspective is set forth by the United Nations Department for Economic and Social Development, Division for Inclusive Social Development: …the term ‘persons with disabilities’ is used to apply to all persons with disabilities including those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various attitudinal and environmental barriers, hinders their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. However, this minimum list of persons who may claim protection under the Convention does not exhaust the categories of the disabilities which fall within the it nor intend to undermine or stand in the way of wider definition of disabilities under national law (such as persons with short-term disabilities). It is also important to note that a person with disabilities may be regarded as a person with a disability in one society