ABSTRACT
This chapter considers that the bearding of Byzantium may be a consequence of the increasing prevalence of native eunuchs in Byzantine society. It is commonly accepted that one of the defining cultural characteristics of Byzantine civilisation from the seventh to the fifteenth centuries is the wearing of beards by adult males. There is scope for the subject of beards to receive much closer scrutiny in Byzantine studies. The chapter aims to initiate this process, deploying in particular a life course approach, itself not much applied to Byzantium. It considers evidence for beards as a cultural signifier of Byzantium and ponders why from the seventh century beards became essential for adult male Byzantines. The chapter examines the subject of the Life Course, which explores especially in relation to Byzantine eunuchs, who were, of course, beardless. It also presents how their lack of a beard affected their life course and their gender status.
