03-24-2006, 01:09 PM
Please not that the Greeks used the expression "eunuch" often to describe the Persian court official that was called a ša reši. (The š is a sharp sh.) This simply means "the man near the king's head", and was a common title. It has often been said that if every ša reši was indeed a eunuch, half the Asian courts had to be castrated. The matter has been discussed by several authors, but the best overview can be found in Pierre Briant's Histoire de l' empire Perse (1995; there is an English translation).
In my opinion, the importance of eunuchs at the Achaemenid court is greatly exaggerated, like the harem intrigues, stories about the great king's 365 concubines, and the prostitution ceremony that would have marked a Babylonian girl's coming of age. These stories tell a lot about Greek sexual attitudes, but not about history.
The role of eunuchs in Byzantium is, of course, a different matter.
In my opinion, the importance of eunuchs at the Achaemenid court is greatly exaggerated, like the harem intrigues, stories about the great king's 365 concubines, and the prostitution ceremony that would have marked a Babylonian girl's coming of age. These stories tell a lot about Greek sexual attitudes, but not about history.
The role of eunuchs in Byzantium is, of course, a different matter.
