Editing Eunuch (section)

==Ancient Greece, Rome, and Byzantium==
{{see also|Eunuchs in the Byzantine Empire}}
The practice was also well established in other Mediterranean areas among the Greeks and Romans, although a role as court functionary does not arise until Byzantine times. The [[Galli]] or Priests of [[Cybele]] were eunuchs.

In the late period of the Roman Empire, after the adoption of the oriental royal court model by the Emperors [[Diocletian]] (r. 284–305) and [[Constantine I|Constantine]] (r. 306–337), emperors were surrounded by eunuchs for such functions as bathing, haircutting, dressing, and bureaucratic functions, in effect acting as a shield between the emperor and his administrators from physical contact, thus enjoying great influence in the imperial court (see [[Eusebius (praepositus sacri cubiculi)|Eusebius]] and [[Eutropius (consul 399)|Eutropius]]). [[Julian (emperor)|Julian]] (r. 361–363) released the eunuchs from their service because he felt they were overpaid, and he subsequently realized how much they had contributed to palace operations.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Scholz|first=Piotr O.|title=Eunuchs and Castrati: A Cultural History|publisher=Markus Weiner Publishers|year=2001|page=178|translator-last=Broadwin|translator-first=John A. and Shelley L. Frisch}}</ref>

The Roman poet [[Martial]] rails against a woman who had sex with partially castrated eunuchs (those whose testicles were removed or rendered inactive only) in the bitter epigram (VI, 67): "Do you ask, Panychus, why your Caelia only consorts with eunuchs? Caelia wants the flowers of marriage – not the fruits."<ref>Penzer, N. M. (1965) The Harem, Spring Books, London, p. 147.</ref> It is up for debate whether this passage is representative of any sort of widely practiced behavior, however.

At the [[Byzantine Empire|Byzantine imperial]] court, there were a great number of eunuchs employed in domestic and administrative functions, actually organized as a separate hierarchy, following a parallel career of their own. Archieunuchs—each in charge of a group of eunuchs—were among the principal officers in [[Constantinople]], under the [[List of Byzantine Emperors|emperors]].<ref>{{Cyclopaedia 1728|title=Eunuch |url=http://images.library.wisc.edu/HistSciTech/EFacs/Cyclopaedia/Cyclopaedia01/reference/histscitech.cyclopaedia01.i0042.pdf|volume=1|page=354}}</ref> Under [[Justinian]] in the 6th century, the eunuch [[Narses]] functioned as a successful general in a number of campaigns.

Advantages of eunuchs were that they prevented offices from becoming hereditary, allowing appointments to be made on merit; they were more dedicated to their jobs, not being distracted by family obligations; and they were ineligible for the throne, and for that reason thought by emperors to be safe.<ref>{{cite book|last=Norwich| first=John Julius| title=Byzantium: The Apogee| publisher=BCA| location=London| pages=129–130}}</ref> Those who had been deprived not only of their testicles but also their penises were known in Greek as ''carzimasia'', and were highly prized.<ref>{{cite book|last=Norwich| first=John Julius| title=Byzantium: The Apogee| publisher=BCA| location=London| page=170}}</ref>