About the book: 2022 / Sean Tafer is a specialist in late Roman and Byzantine history, professor at the School of History, Archeology and Religion at Cardiff University. The existence of eunuchs was one of the defining features Byzantine Empire. Sean Taffer explores the various facets of the eunuch phenomenon. What roles did eunuchs play at court? They are encountered not only as helpful servants; some of them were influential politicians, prominent bishops and monks. The reader learns how society viewed eunuchs, especially their gender identity—whether they were perceived as men, women, or a third gender. Covering the entire period of the history of the empire, from the 4th to the 15th centuries AD. BC, the author presents a comprehensive overview of the history of eunuchs, using extensive comparative material from China, Persia, the Ottoman Empire, etc. The book “Eunuchs in Byzantium” was translated by Andrei Vinogradov, a Russian historian, researcher of Byzantium and early Christianity.