The perfect servant : eunuchs and the social construction of gender in Byzantium / Kathryn M. Ringrose.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-285) and index.

List of Illustrations; Spelling Conventions for Greek Names; Acknowledgments; Introduction -- Eunuchs of Byzantium: Context and Definition; PART I GENDER AS SOCIAL CONSTRUCT; 1 The Language of Gender; 2 Byzantine Medical Lore and the Gendering of Eunuchs; 3 Gender Construction as Acculturation; 4 Making Sense of Tradition: Regendering Legendary Narratives; PART II BECOMING PROTAGONISTS; 5 Passing the Test of Sanctity: Eunuchs and the Ecclesiastical World of Byzantium; 6 Transgressing Gender Boundaries: Eunuchs in Authority; 7 Transcending the Material World: Eunuchs and Angels.

The Perfect Servant reevaluates the place of eunuchs in Byzantium. Kathryn Ringrose uses the modern concept of gender as a social construct to identify eunuchs as a distinct gender and to illustrate how gender was defined in the Byzantine world. At the same time she explores the changing role of the eunuch in Byzantium from 600 to 1100. Accepted for generations as a legitimate and functional part of Byzantine civilization, eunuchs were prominent in both the imperial court and the church. They were distinctive in physical appearance, dress, and manner and were considered uniquely suited for imp.

Print version record.

eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - Worldwide