eunuch, castrated human male. From remote antiquity, eunuchs were employed in the Middle East and in China in two main functions: as guards and servants in harems or other women’s quarters, and as chamberlains to kings. Eunuchs were considered the most suitable guards for the many wives or concubines a ruler might have in his palace, and the eunuchs’ confidential position in the harems of princes frequently enabled them to exercise an important influence over their royal masters and even to raise themselves to stations of great trust and power. Some rose to become bodyguards, confidential advisers, and even ministers,...