Between Byzantine Men

<p>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. <i>Between Byzantine Men: Desire Homosociality and Brotherhood in the Medieval Empire</i> challenges and transforms this situation by placing at centre stage Byzantine men's desiring relations with one another.</p><p>This book<em> </em>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 (<i>adelphopoiesis</i>) 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.</p><p><em>Between Byzantine Men</em> 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.</p>