Season 2 Episode 4: Interview: Byzantine Gender and Eunuchs
This episode features an interview with Hayley Aschenbrenner, an MA student studying medieval Roman gender, particularly the unique history of eunuchs. We discuss how historians approach understanding gender and identity in the past, the role of eunuchs in Byzantine society, and Hayley’s topic of particular interest, the eunuch general, Narses. This episode was full of fascinating stories and interesting examinations of the study of gender, personal expression and agency. We had so much fun picking Hayley’s brain about this super niche and fascinating topic and we hope you enjoy this one as much as we did!
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Intro/Outro Music
The Spaghetti Western Set by Brett Van Donsel Music - https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=10&v=WizFTwM_J_8&feature=emb_logo
References
Shows and Movies:
Game of Thrones (2011) - we talked about the character “Varys”
Books:
Kathryn M. Ringrose (2003). The Perfect Servant: Eunuchs and the Social Constructions of Gender in Byzantium
Shelley Parker-Chan (2021). She Who Became the Sun.
Roland Betancourt (2020). Byzantine Intersectionality: Sexuality, Gender & Race in the Middle Ages.
Precopius. The Secret History (Anecdota)
Other:
Shaun Tougher- has written many books and articles
John Malalas- wrote about Chrsaphius and Eutropius
Agathias- about Narses
Judith Heron
