Hair Offerings and Imperial Favor: Glimpses of a Eunuch’s Life
These poems give us a rare insight into how Romans viewed eunuchs. Roman law banned castrating citizens, but importing eunuchs from Asia Minor or Persia became common in wealthy homes. The poems describe Earinus’ castration with euphemisms, saying it happened before puberty “to preserve his beauty.” One interesting story tells how Earinus sent his cut hair and a mirror as offerings to a temple in his hometown, Pergamon, suggesting he maintained connections to his birthplace despite serving the emperor.
