Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Eunuchs and Castrated Men in Byzantine Law and Society, 527-1056

Eunuchs and Castrated Men in Byzantine Law and Society, 527-1056

Kontani, Yuki

Hardcover

Series: New Approaches to Byzantine History and Culture

Medieval & Renaissance HistoryGeneral Political ScienceGeneral World History

ISBN10: 3032073588
ISBN13: 9783032073587
Publisher: Palgrave MacMillan
Published: Jan 3 2026
Pages: 302
Weight: 1.18
Height: 0.94 Width: 5.95 Depth: 8.58
Language: English

This book explores understudied aspects of eunuchs in Byzantium from the sixth through mid-eleventh centuries, with a particular emphasis on the imperial attitudes toward eunuchs and castration reflected in imperial legislation. Eunuchs were key figures in the empire, known especially for their close relationships with emperors as chamberlains of the imperial bedchamber, imperial administrators and military commanders of imperial troops. They attracted the interest of various contemporaries because they played an important role in the political, military or religious spheres. Furthermore, their infertility and physical characteristics set them apart from most people. This book revisits and enlarges the history of eunuchs in the Byzantine empire through comprehensive source analysis, focusing particularly on Byzantine legal sources codified and promulgated in the name of the emperors.

Also in

Medieval & Renaissance History

View All