Eunuchs and Castrati
Subtitle: A Cultural History
Contributors: John A. Broadwin (Translator); Shelley L. Frisch (Translator)
Publisher: Markus Wiener Publishers
Published: June 2001
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 327
ISBN-13: 9781558762015
Subjects: Anthropology; Cultural studies; Gender studies; History: World; Eunuchs; History; Sociology; Medieval; General; Anthropology - General
First sentence: For centuries human sexual behavior has been subject to religious and moral taboos.
Description: "This fascinating study of eunuchs guides readers as they travel through various lands and periods, familiarizing themselves with the duties and responsibilities, the unspeakable torments, and the passions and joys of these individuals. Eunuchs were not simply "bedchamber attendants," as the Greek term suggests. Nor were they always slaves. They could just as well be ascetics, priests, magicians, scholars, physicians, military commanders, admirals, or senior court officials. In the Byzantine empire, the only office they were precluded from attaining was that of emperor."