Collage course -- Eunuchs in Greek and Roman Society
Other:  ALL
Found this searching the web....sounds like an interesting course
HS3312 Eunuchs in Greek and Roman Society
Available in the Spring Semester of alternate years (1998/99, 
2000/01)

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1 module: 10 credits

Necessary for: No courses currently build onto this one 
Availability: All Ancient History Degree Schemes 
Staff: Shaun Tougher

AIMS
To consider the cultural phenomenon of the castrated male in both 
Greek and Roman society and the diverse roles that eunuchs 
fulfilled in these societies. In addition to place the phenomenon 
in a wider historical context. 
OBJECTIVES
To understand the origins of eunuchs, methods of castration, the 
desire to create or become a eunuch, and the contribution of 
eunuchs to Greek and Roman society. Also to appreciate the nature 
of the presentation of eunuchs in literary sources, from Herodotus 
to Claudian. In addition to secure knowledge of the phenomenon of 
the castrated male in other societies for comparative purposes. 
SYLLABUS CONTENT
The time span runs from Herodotus’ Histories to Claudian’s 
invectives against Eutropius, but incorporates material from other 
periods and cultures for comparative purposes. The module considers 
the phenomenon of the eunuch, the origins of eunuchs, castration 
and self-castration, slavery and the slave trade, the attitude of 
the law to eunuchs, eunuchs as the third sex, the literary image of 
the eunuch, and the roles filled by eunuchs, concentrating 
especially on the phenomenon of the powerful court eunuchs of late 
antiquity. 
GENERAL COURSE DESCRIPTION
Eunuchs are referred to in the texts of classical works from 
Herodotus onwards, attaining a peak in late antiquity with the 
emergence of a significant eunuch presence at the Roman court. The 
module will trace this aspect of the worlds of Greece and Rome, 
drawing on the piecemeal nature of the evidence, and focusing on 
those texts that have a particularly significant contribution to 
make to our knowledge of eunuchs, and the sexual, religious and 
political roles of eunuchs. In addition the issue of eunuchs as a 
third sex will be considered, as well as the phenomenon of the 
eunuch in other societies, such as Byzantium, China, India, and 
also in the world of opera. 
PRELIMINARY READING
K. Hopkins, Conquerors and Slaves (Cambridge, 1978), chap. 4
J. Long, Claudian’s In Eutropium (Chapel Hill and London, 1996)
O. Patterson, Slavery and Social Death (Cambridge 
Massachusetts/London, 1982), chap. 11
W. Stevenson, ‘The Rise of Eunuchs in Greco-Roman Antiquity’, 
Journal of the History of Sexuality 5 (1995), pp. 495-511
S. F. Tougher, ‘Byzantine Eunuchs: An Overview’, in Women, Men and 
Eunuchs: Gender in Byzantium, ed. Liz James (London and New York, 
1997), pp. 168-184 
Teaching: 11 lectures and 2 seminars
Assessment: 1 essay (50%) and 1 one hour examination (50%) 

Other modules to consider taking in conjunction with this one:
HS3309 Greek Values
HS3362 Gender & Sexuality in Greece and Rome
HS3360 Slaves, Serfs and Freedmen 


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Return to the HISAR Homepage or go to Shaun Tougher's Homepage. 

http://www.cf.ac.uk/uwcc/hisar/modules/HS3312/