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

Autor(es)

MATHEUS TREUK MEDEIROS DE ARAUJO ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Universidade de São Paulo - Brasil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: An. mus. paul.; v. 31, 2024-01-22.

Resumo

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)

• Processo FAPESP: 22/07801-8 - O Lugar dos Eunucos da Corte nos Impérios Neoassírio e Aquemênida: Uma Análise Comparativa.
• Beneficiário: Matheus Treuk Medeiros de Araujo
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Pós-Doutorado
• Processo FAPESP: 23/01822-6 - Eunucos da corte nos relevos monumentais neo-assírios e aquemênidas: entre Assurnasirpal II (883-859 a.C.) e Dario I (522-486 a.C.)
• Beneficiário: Matheus Treuk Medeiros de Araujo
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Exterior - Estágio de Pesquisa - Pós-Doutorado