"I, Carumbus" is the second episode of the thirty-second season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the 686th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on October 4, 2020.^[1] The episode was directed by Rob Oliver,^[2] and written by Cesar Mazariegos.^[3] Mike Duncan was the Roman history consultant.^[4]

Michael Palin^[5] and Joe Mantegna appear in the episode as the museum curator and Gordus Antonius, respectively. The episode is a parody reimagining to I, Claudius and Caligula, features the Simpson family learning about ancient Rome. It received generally positive reviews from critics, and watched live in the United States by 1.51 million viewers.

While the Simpson family visits a museum exhibit on Ancient Rome, Marge chastises a bored Homer for his lack of ambition when he admits to shirking chances for promotion. The curator overhears their argument and begins to relay the tale of Obeseus the Wide (played by Homer), the son of a poor farmer.

While years of toil make Obeseus strong, his father Abus (played by Grampa Simpson) sells him to the Roman slave master Gordus Antonius (played by Fat Tony) who puts Obeseus in the gladiatorial fighting pits. Obeseus' actions catch the eye of his master's daughter Marjora (played by Marge), who seduces him and gets pregnant. When her father demands the slave who impregnated his daughter reveal himself, Obeseus comes forward and is freed from slavery so he can marry her. Marjora gives birth to their twin children, Bartigula and Lisandra (played by Bart and Lisa), and Gordus gives Obeseus control of his laundry business and his former slave friends as a wedding present.

Years later, Obeseus runs the laundry business into the ground through his incompetence. When the ambitious Marjora tells him to get his act together, Obeseus' slave friends suggest gathering ammonia (used in the cleaning process) by placing pots near drinking establishments. Obeseus becomes wealthy, only for Marjora to push her husband into joining the Senate to raise their status further. Obeseus asks Emperor Quimbus (played by Mayor Quimby) to put him in the Senate, but he refuses. However, his "politically adopted" son Senator Montimus (played by Mr. Burns) offers Obeseus a position in the Senate if he assassinates Quimbus. He reluctantly does so, and Montimus crowns himself emperor and appoints Obeseus to the Senate.

The next years later, Obeseus becomes rich and powerful (and fat), avoiding freeing his friends and not spending life with his children. However, Marjora wants more power by poisoning Emperor Montimus to death and proposes their son, Bartigula to claim the throne. After he is crowned emperor, Bartigula the Jerk declares war on Neptune, builds a massive wall across Rome, and dissolves the Senate (by dousing its members with acid). As Bartigula goes mad with power and declares himself a god, Obeseus is sentenced to be eaten by the lions, only to challenge his son to a gladiatorial battle. The ensuing fight results in their deaths, driving Marjora to commit suicide.

Back in the present, the Simpson family argues about the moral of the tale, and the curator laments letting stupid people into museums.

During the credits, the Roman gods watch the argument, which they have been viewing for years. Minerva complains that the argument has declined in quality, but Jupiter states that he wants to watch it to the end because he has already invested so much time in it, and "it feels like they're wrapping it up".

Promotional posters for the episode were released on September 30, 2020.^[10] Also on 2020, Fox released eight promotional pictures from the episode.^[12]