Between Byzantine Men Desire, Homosociality, and Brotherhood in the Medieval Empire

The presence and importance of same-sex desire between men in the Byzantine Empire has been understudied. While John Boswell and others tried to open a conversation about desire between Byzantine men decades ago, the field reverted to emphasis on prohibition and an inability to read the evidence of same-sex desire between men in the sources.?Between Byzantine Men: Desire, Homosociality, and Brotherhood in the Medieval Empire?challenges and transforms this situation by placing at centre stage Byzantine?men’s desiring relations with one another.

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This book foregrounds desire between men in and around the imperial court of the 900s. Analysis of Greek sources (many untranslated until now)?and of material culture reveals a situation both more liberal than the medieval West and important for its rite of brother-making (adelphopoiesis), which was a precursor to today’s same-sex marriage. This book transforms our understanding of Byzantine elite men’s culture and is an important addition to the history of sex and desire between men.

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Between Byzantine Men will appeal to scholars and general readers who are interested in Byzantine History, Society, and Culture, the History of Masculinity, and the History of Sexuality.