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(Reference retrieved automatically from SciELO through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Achaemenid court eunuchs in their Near Eastern context: images in the longue durée

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Author(s):
MATHEUS TREUK MEDEIROS DE ARAUJO [1]
Total Authors: 1
Affiliation:
[1] Universidade de São Paulo - Brasil
Total Affiliations: 1
Document type: Journal article
Source: An. mus. paul.; v. 31, 2024-01-22.
Abstract

ABSTRACT This study aims to compare some images of beardless attendants in monumental reliefs from the Achaemenid (c. 550-330 BCE) and Neo-Assyrian (c. 911-612 BCE) empires, which we consider relevant sources for the study of court eunuchs and cultural conceptions about castrati. We argue that such comparisons are possible since eunuchism was a long-standing institution in the Ancient Near East, as shown by several analogies with the Assyrian evidence. We also argue that scholars have downplayed the importance of court eunuchs due to gender/sex assumptions based on Western and modern perspectives that consider eunuchism incompatible with high-ranking social standing. With these theoretical considerations in mind, we finally sketch some possible analytical proposals to explore the images of beardless attendants in Persia and Assyria. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 23/01822-6 - Court eunuchs in the Neo-Assyrian and Achaemenid monumental reliefs: between Assurnasirpal II (883-859 BCE) and Darius I (522-486 BCE)
Grantee:Matheus Treuk Medeiros de Araujo
Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor
FAPESP's process: 22/07801-8 - The Place of Court Eunuchs in the Neo-Assyrian and Achaemenid Empires: a Comparative Analysis.
Grantee:Matheus Treuk Medeiros de Araujo
Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral