Women, Men and Eunuchs: Gender in Byzantium

by Elizabeth James (Editor)

Overview

The collected papers in this volume present a unique introduction both to the history of women, of men and eunuchs, or the third sex, in Byzantium and to the various theoretical and methodological approaches through which the topic can be examined. The contributors use evidence from both texts and images to give a wide-ranging picture of the place of women and Byzantine society and the perceptions of women held by that society.
Women, Men and Eunuchs offers a unique and valuable exploration of the issue of gender in Byzantium, which will fascinate anyone interested in ancient and medieval history and gender studies.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781135105471
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/11/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Liz James is a lecturer in the History of Art, School of European Studies, University of Sussex. She has published several articles on women in Byzantium and is currently working on a book on Byzantine Empresses.

Table of Contents

List of Plates List of Figures List of Abbreviations Acknowledgements Notes on Contributors Introductory Essay: Women's Studies, Gender Studies, Byzantine Studies Liz James 1. Sacred and Profane Love: Thoughts on Byzantine Gender Averil Cameron 2. Women and Icons, and Women in Icons Robin Cormack 3. Memories of Helena: Patterns in Imperial Female Matronage in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries Leslie Brubaker 4. Imperial Women and the Ideology of Womanhood in the Eleventh and Twelfth Centuries Barbara Hill 5. Gender and Orientalism in Georgia in the Age of Queen Tamar Antony Eastmond 6. Salome's Sisters. The Rhetoric and Realities of Dance in Late Antiquity and Byzantium Ruth Webb 7. Women as Outsiders Dion C. Smythe 8. Byzantine Eunuchs: An Overview, with Special Reference to their Creation and Origin Shaun F. Tougher 9. Homo Byzantinus? Charles Barber Select Bibliography Index

Editorial Reviews

"interesting...help[s] us to recover both the realities of women's lives and the modes of the construction of gender."
-"International Journal of the Classical Tradition
"A useful study."
-Religious Study Review

From the Publisher