Introduction: The Other Side of Eunuch History

Abstract

Throughout history, eunuchs have been defined by their lack of body parts. Genitally mutilating one group to keep another pure,1 rulers have relied on eunuchs as “keepers of the harem,” servants who ensured the sexual purity of the palace women, and the legitimacy of the imperial lineage. Societies throughout the world have also castrated or emasculated young boys and men for religious, political, or cultural purposes. While oftentimes labeled erroneously as an exoticism unique to imperial China, eunuchs played roles in the histories of the Roman and Ottoman Empires, served in the Korean imperial court, and continue to exist in contemporary Indian society. In China, the practice of utilizing eunuchs as imperial servants dates back thousands of years to ancient dynasties such as the Shang (1766–1122 BCE)...