The Roman Castrati - by Shaun Tougher (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Eunuchs tend to be associated with eastern courts, popularly perceived as harem personnel. However, the Roman empire was also distinguished by eunuchs - they existed as slaves, court officials, religious figures and free men. This book is the first to be devoted to the range of Roman eunuchs. Across seven chapters (spanning the third century BC to the sixth century AD), Shaun Tougher examines the history of Roman eunuchs, focusing on key texts and specific individuals. Subjects met include the Galli (the self-castrating devotees of the goddess the Great Mother), Terence's comedy The Eunuch (the earliest surviving Latin text to use the word 'eunuch'), Sporus and Earinus the eunuch favourites of the emperors Nero and Domitian, the 'Ethiopian eunuch' of the Acts of the Apostles (an early convert to Christianity), Favorinus of Arles (a superstar intersex philosopher), the Grand Chamberlain Eutropius (the only eunuch ever to be consul), and Narses the eunuch general who defeated the Ostrogoths and restored Italy to Roman rule. A key theme of the chapters is gender, inescapable when studying castrated males. Ultimately this book is as much about the eunuch in the Roman imagination as it is the reality of the eunuch in the Roman empire.

Review Quotes

"[The book] offers fascinating insights, even into the highly complex gender topic, and encourages further research." --Plekos (Bloomsbury Translation)

"Tougher's latest book, Roman Castrati, leads us through almost a thousand years of castrated men in Roman history. He explores a wide range of sources and topics to understand the role of the eunuch in religion, politics, literature, and society. Along the way, he introduces us to an array of fascinating individuals: priests of Attis and Christ, orators and grand chamberlains, sexual companions and generals. A book for novices and scholars alike!" --Mathew Kuefler, Professor of History, San Diego State University, USA

"This timely monograph has much to recommend it. It offers a wide range of sources and subjects of study, with every reader likely to encounter an area about which they had previously known little. A particular strength of the work is its clear focus on individuals ... giving to (or rather reclaiming for) these eunuchs a sense of identity which has often been denied them." --Journal of Classics Teaching

About the Author

Shaun Tougher is Professor of Late Roman and Byzantine History in the School of History, Archaeology and Religion at Cardiff University, UK. His research interests lie in the political and social history of the later Roman and Byzantine empires. His publications include Julian the Apostate (2007), The Eunuch in Byzantine History and Society (2008), and The Emperor in the Byzantine World (ed. 2019).