The Roman Castrati - Eunuchs in the Roman Empire

As the Roman empire expanded eastwards, Rome began to encounter foreign powers which used eunuchs in the roles of court attendants, religious figures and teachers. Initially an alien and unacceptable practice, the use of eunuchs in Roman society increased with the emergence of the Roman Emperors. Sporus was the young lover of Nero, and in the later Empire Eutropius was the only eunuch ever to be consul. More surprisingly, eunuchs such as the orator Favorinus could be free citizens, and the reconquest of Italy under Justinian I was led by a eunuch, Narses. In this incisive and perceptive volume, Shaun Tougher examines themes of castration, sex, slavery and political power through such notable individual figures in Roman history.

Product details

• Authors: Shaun Tougher
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 12.11.2020
• EAN: 9781847251688
• ISBN: 978-1-84725-168-8
• No. of pages: 232
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History > Antiquity; European History, HISTORY / Ancient / Rome, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Gender Studies, HISTORY / Social History, Social & cultural history, Ancient Rome, Social and cultural history, Ancient History, Gender studies, gender groups, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, European history: the Romans