A while back, I made a short talking about the Roman attitude toward eunuchs.
Someone asked a question in the comments, and that led down a research rabbit hole culminating in this video. In fact, the video on gender transgression in early Christianity came from that as well. So if you ask me a question, you might just get several videos answering it.
Today, we’ll take a look at the Romans’ contradictory attitude toward eunuchs, some details behind why eunuch slaves were popular, and how eunuchs were, ahem, created.
All voices by Sophie Edwards
This video was filmed in the territory of the Chippewa of the Thames, the Oneida of the Thames, & the Muncey Delaware nations. I am immensely grateful to the stewards of this land & hope to work toward healing wounds & creating a more equitable world.
Primary Sources Cited:
►Aurelius Victor – De Caesaribus, trans. H.W. Bird (1994)
►Cassius Dio – Roman History, Loeb Classical Library translation
►Corpus Juris Civilis, trans. Samuel P. Scott (1932)
►Digest of Justinian Vol I, trans. Theodor Mommsen & Paul Krueger (1985)
►Martial – Epigrams, Bohn’s Classical Library translation (1897)
►Pausanias – Description of Greece, trans. W.H.S Jones (1964)
►Paulus Aegineta – Epitomes Iatrikes Biblio Hepta, trans. Francis Adams (1847)
►Suetonius – Lives of the Caesars, trans. Catharine Edwards (2000)
Secondary Sources Cited:
►Bollinger, Alex – Alabama Republican Busted Looking At Trans Adult Pics Online (Published March 2021 in https://shorturl.at/ovDEO)
►Davidson, Lee, and Taylor W. Anderson. Utah Rep. Jon Stannard Resigned After Meeting Call Girl Twice For Sex (Published February 2018 in https://shorturl.at/gwzHT)
►Duffy, Nick. InfoWars Host Alex Jones Caught Looking At Transgender Porn Despite Anti-Trans Rants (Published August 2018 in https://shorturl.at/aoxI9)
►Henriksen, C – Earinus: An Imperial Eunuch In The Light Of The Poems Of Martial And Statius (1997)
►Laiou, Angeliki E – The Economic History Of Byzantium: From The Seventh Through The Fifteenth Century (2002)
►Lewis, Juan – Ne Spadones Fiant: Domitian’s Emasculation Ban: Effectiveness And Purpose (2023)
►McElduff, Siobhan – UnRoman Romans
►Rotman, Youval – The Paradox of Roman Eunuchism: A Juridical-Historical Approach
►Scholz, Piotr O – Eunuchs and Castrati: A Cultural History, trans John A Broadwin and Shelley L Frisch (2001)
►Strittmatter, Eugene J – Prayer in the Iliad and the Odyssey (1925)
►Miller, Max. The Bread Of Ancient Rome | Pompeii’s Panis Quadratus https://youtu.be/Sw2qrt6tOKw?si=7qH2IEgrxAxD3OHA
►Vlassopoulos, Kostas – Slavery In Ancient Greece (2023)
Audio used:
►bedtime after a coffee by Barradeen | https://soundcloud.com/barradeen CC3.0
►Cookies and Chilling by Alex-Productions | https://onsound.eu CC3.0
►Introspection and Thunder Nap by Purrple Cat | https://purrplecat.com CC3.0
►ChillShop by Deoxys Beats | https://soundcloud.com/deoxysbeats1 CC3.0
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
►Cold Brew by RA | https://uppbeat.io/t/ra/cold-brew License code: BYCRAQGGNKFFSIRF
Images Used:
►Roman Sarcophagus Detail by Mark Cartwright CC4.0
►Facebook Like Button by Sean MacEntee CC2.0
►Facebook logo thumbs up like transparent by RomanLier CC4.0
►Facebook Like by Owen W Brown CC2.0
►FontAwesome Comment by FontAwesome CC4.0
►Comment & Subscribe by Nick Youngson CC3.0
►San Vitale Mosaic of Justinian by Petar Melosevic CC4.0
►Solidus of Julius Nepos by Numismatica Ars Classica CC3.0
►Coin of Odoacer by the British Museum CC4.0
►A reproduction of a Roman caliga by MatthiasKabel CC3.0
►Roman Empires in 476 CE by Rowanwindwhistler CC4.0
►speech balloon by Ilya at Simpleshow Foundation CC3.0
►Byzantine Empire map by Zakuragi CC3.0
►Roman portrait statue by Yair Haklai CC4.0
►House Of The Stags Front by Heleen Kwant CC4.0
►Herculaneum Fresco, Gladiator Mosaic, & Bust of Nerva by Carole Raddato CC4.0
►House of the Stags photos by the Wilhelmina and Stanley A Jaschemski Archive CC4.0
►Herculaneum Loaf by Liana Miate CC4.0
►Roman cooking pans by Richard White CC2.0
►Roman slaves relief & Fruit Bowl Mosaic by Mark Cartwright CC4.0
►Statue of Domitian by Mary Harrsch CC2.0
►Roman empire in 69 CE by Steerpike CC3.0
►Colosseum 2020 by FeaturedPics CC4.0
►Solidus of Valens by Classical Numismatic Group CC2.5 Pizza cutter by Shelly Couvrette CC2.0