28 min listen
The Eunuch
ratings:
Length:
47 minutes
Released:
Feb 26, 2015
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss the history and significance of eunuchs, castrated men who were a common feature of many civilisations for at least three thousand years. Eunuchs were typically employed as servants in royal households in the ancient Middle East, China and classical antiquity. In some civilisations they were used as administrators or senior military commanders, sometimes achieving high office. The tradition lingered until surprisingly recently, with castrated singers remaining a feature of Vatican choirs until the nineteenth century, while the last Chinese eunuch of the imperial court died in 1996.
With:
Karen Radner
Professor of Ancient Near Eastern History at University College London
Shaun Tougher
Reader in Ancient History at Cardiff University
Michael Hoeckelmann
British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of History at King's College London
Producer: Thomas Morris.
With:
Karen Radner
Professor of Ancient Near Eastern History at University College London
Shaun Tougher
Reader in Ancient History at Cardiff University
Michael Hoeckelmann
British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of History at King's College London
Producer: Thomas Morris.
Released:
Feb 26, 2015
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (100)
Cultural Imperialism: Melvyn Bragg examines how a dominant power can exert a cultural influence on its empire. by In Our Time: History