What were the Eunuchs exactly!?

[Nathan Ross]

"with white feet"... from outside the Imperium. Probably from the East.

Interesting expression - what does it mean? I recall something about slaves having chalk on their feet but beyond that...

Most eunuchs did indeed come from outside the empire though, meaning that all the imperial legislation from Domitian onwards probably had no effect as it only related to 'creating' eunuchs, not trading them or possessing them as slaves.

Abasgia, on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, was apparently a top eununchising place in later centuries. Since the value of a eunuch was presumably much greater than the value of a standard slave boy, we might imagine that a considerable attrition rate in the, erm, medical procedures would be considered economically viable. A grisly thought.