The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified? Page: 7
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paintings, music. Specifically, her story was the inspiration for Rossini's opera Semiramide. But
even in this dense fog of legend and myth, some truths are present (Scholz 2001).
The institute of "sacred kingship" was introduced and promoted during her reign. Sacred
kingship was the idea that a ruler or official was a manifestation or channel of the scared or
divine world. It became a regional state institution. Castrated males were seen as chaste and
holy, without the distraction of sexual drive. Semiramis required the services of eunuchs in her
court. It is also very likely that Shamshi-ilu, the royal confidant and general of the Queen, was a
eunuch. For a long time, he was considered the "first man in the state". Italian Assyriologist
Pettinato even went so far as to call him a "would-be Assyrian king." He described Shamshi-
ilu's title as "general deputy, grand herald, keeper of the temple, supreme commander of many
armies, he who governs the land of Hatte." This type of power leads to the conclusion that he
was in all likelihood a castrato (Scholz 2001).
Being a castrated male was actually an advantage in the rise to power. The term "harem"
was probably used by the Assyrians in this positive context, since the palace and royal chambers
were "scared and therefore prohibited" areas (sacri cubiculi), in which only eunuchs were likely
allowed. Under Roman and Byzantine emperors they became statesmen, high court officials, and
patriarchs. Because of the emperor's concubine situation which, subsequently, also included
many unwanted children, many of which grew up to be a threat against the actual royal
successor. Palace revolts and the like were extremely common with these spawn of the
emperor's concubines. Some of these "rivals" were even castrated themselves, to remove their
threat. A eunuch could hold any office of power save that of emperor, so a castrated rival became
no rival at all. This actually ensured a possible senior position for the newly created eunuch, and
became a distinct political advantage for the boy. Becoming a castrato meant giving up the
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Sowle, Jennifer. The Castrato Sacrifice: Was it Justified?, thesis, August 2006; Denton, Texas. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc5343/m1/10/: accessed May 13, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .